Teen Titans Season Six: The Citadel Strikes
by shadowwhisper123
Summary: The Citadel, the brutal alien empire that wanted Starfire as their servant, launches a full-scale attack on earth to reclaim their prize and add another planet to their collection. My version of a Teen Titans season along with a "Starfire Arc."
1. Episode One First Strike

"Will someone please tell me why we're doing this again?" Raven asked. She was glowering, trailing a little ways behind the others as they walked along the hiking path through the woods to a campsite. It was early evening on an early autumn night, and the sun was just beginning its descent in the sky. "We could all use some rest after running all around the world and fighting the Brotherhood of Evil," Cyborg said. "I have to agree with Cyborg," Robin added, "That shapeshifting robot got away, and our efforts to track it haven't been successful, so if we're going to wait for it to strike again, we might as well be trying to have a little bit of fun." "Hellloooooo!" said Beast Boy. "Aren't you guys forgetting the number one reason why we're here?" Robin stared at him blankly. "Well, according to the Jump City Sci-Fi Lovers Association, or JCSFLA-" "That's way too long," Raven interrupted. Beast Boy glared at her, a little vein beginning to pop out of his green head. "According to the JCSFLA, these beaches have become a hotspot for…(pause for dramatic emphasis) UFO SIGHTINGS!"

Raven, Robin, and Starfire blinked a few times. "UFOs. _That's_ why we're out here. We're getting dirty, covered with sweat, sunburnt, stung relentlessly by nefarious mosquitoes, and sleeping on a sandy, rocky, uncomfortable beach in dusty, moth-eaten sleeping bags, inside an old tent that has holes in it and smells like a mixture of wet socks and refried beans, far away from our nice, warm, perfectly comfortable tower, to take pictures of what will surely be nothing more than a Frisbee, a kite, or, if we're lucky, a satellite or an actual chunk of space debris burning up in the atmosphere, just so we can take hundreds of pictures of it and say: "Oooh! Look! Aliens!" Raven ranted in her usual deadpan tone.

Beast Boy was unfazed. "Don't worry, Raven, we members of the JCSFLA are trained UFO hunting professionals. If something genuinely weird is happening above this city, we know how to distinguish it from a red herring. Right, Cy?" "You bet! Up top." Cyborg exclaimed, high-fiving his best friend. "Oh yeah! C'mon, I'll race you to the campsite! And when I find a UFO first, maybe I'll let you be on _one_ magazine cover with me!" Beast Boy ran off with a cackle. "Oh no you don't! We'll just see about that!" Cyborg chased after him, gripping the straps of his overstuffed backpack. Raven sighed and shook her head, trudging after them. "I'm surrounded…"she murmured.

Starfire floated over next to Robin. "Robin, what is a UFO?" "Its an acronym for Unidentified Flying Object. When people see things in the sky that they think could be spaceships or other signs of alien life, they call it a UFO. It's kinda stupid, really. Because its' almost always a mistake." "Has Earth ever come under attack from the denizens of other planets?" "Well, sort of, yeah, but nothing that the Justice League or Titans couldn't or can't handle!" "You are certain?" the Alien Powerhouse asked, looking deep into the Teen Wonder's masked eyes, just a hint of urgency in her voice. Robin paused before replying, worried over the fact that she seemed upset. But he smiled and nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Mm-hm." Starfire looked down, but then she smiled and took off to join the other boys and Raven, flying ahead to the beach. "Wha-Hey! Star! Come back!" Robin finally brought up the rear, jogging to join the rest of his teenage teammates.

When he got there, he found Raven sitting on one of the old logs that had been set up in a circle around a crude fireplace, using her powers to fix up a tent. Meanwhile, Beast Boy and Cyborg were starting to set up their personal equipment, with Starfire watching them. Even Raven was puzzling over the convoluted directions that came with the tent. "Here, let me help you with that." Robin offered, kneeling down inside of the cloth to help put the various rods into their proper places. "Thanks. Oh, and next time, I decide what we're doing." Robin managed to get a large amount of the supports in place as Raven held up the tarp with her magic. "Robin,-ow!" Raven began, pausing to slap a mosquito that had landed on her neck and zap another one with bolt of energy from the gemstone on her forehead. "Are you sure that this a good idea? What if that thing comes back and we're not ready?" "To tell you the truth, Raven, I would have preferred to stay at the tower, too. But we took a vote, and since Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire all wanted to go camping, that's what we're doing." When the last few pieces were snapped into place, he climbed out from underneath the functional tent and sat down on another log. He reached into his red knapsack and took out a computer. "But I brought this laptop with me, so I'm gonna keep on looking for any leads about what we fought last week and keep an eye out for alerts while they're playing around."

Suddenly, Cyborg's massive, angry form was looming over him. "I don't think so." Robin's eyes widened and he looked up. "Huh?" "How many times do I have to teach you this lesson, Rob? When the rest of your team is relaxing, you should too!" Robin looked back down at the screen. "I appreciate the concern Cyborg, but crime doesn't rest, and neither should-" Cyborg bent down and closed the laptop, "Yes. It. Does, Robin. Just like you should more often. And that's what you're going to do. Right now. No buts." Robin huffed. "Alright, fine you win, I'll get over there with the rest of you soon. Just give me at least an hour to-" "Okay, Robin. I didn't wanna hafta do this, but you've left me with no choice."

Without warning, Cyborg seized the Titans' leader by his arm and slung him over his broad shoulder and started heading over to the beach. "Whoa! Hey! Cyborg, what the heck are you-Cut it out! Put me down! This is not funny! PUT ME DOWN NOW!" Robin thrashed, kicked and hammered his fists on Cyborg's back. "Yo! BB, get ready!" Beast Boy rubbed his hands together and laughed devilishly before he turned into a gorilla. "Raven, help! Somebody! Ack!" Raven just crossed her arms and smirked, enjoying the show. Cyborg pulled Robin off of his back and let Beast Boy grab hold of his legs while Cyborg held onto his arms. "This is for your own good, Rob." Beast Boy changed back into human form briefly to say: You need to cool off just as badly as we do." Then he changed back again. "And whether you like it or not, that's-" "Wait, no! Don't do that! I don't wanna-" "exactly-" "Stop! Please! Somebody! HEEEELP!" "WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO!" They swung him back in order to build momentum, and then they threw him, sending him hurtling out over the ocean water. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! BEAST BOY, CYBORG! I SWEAR I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He flew through the air for about a quarter of a mile before he fell in with a humungous splash. Beast Boy put a hand over his eyes to watch Robin fall. "Whoa! Dude that was sweet!" He and Cyborg exchanged a fist bump. As Robin regained his vision underwater, an orange and purple blur came into view. Starfire had come to his rescue. She took his hand and helped him swim back up. When Robin finally resurfaced, he swam over to a nearby buoy and held on, coughing, sputtering, and sneezing out the water that had gone up his nose as he tried to regain his breath. Starfire kept a hand on his back, rubbing and gently patting him. "Hey you know what would be funny? Let's throw Robin into the ocean. Ha ha! That's a _real _good one," he growled. "Beast Boy and Cyborg did not mean any harm, Robin, please do not be angry with them. Would you like me to toss them into the ocean as well?" Robin grinned at her. "Heh. Nah, we'll get back at them another time. By the way, thanks." "It was not a problem." They stared at each other for a moment, smiling and saying nothing. They had not had very much time to themselves since they had gotten together in Tokyo, maybe now was an opportune moment for some alone time…

"Starfire?" "Yes, Robin?" "As long as we're out here, do you wanna go for a swim?" "Is that not what we are already doing?" "Heh, heh. Yeah, but I'd sort of like to change into a bathing suit. Swimming in these heavy boots and a cape isn't very relaxing." Starfire grasped his hand again and they flew back to shore. Raven had found a shady place to meditate and Cyborg was stretched out on a beach towel, soaking up the sun. Robin and Starfire grabbed their bags and retreated into the woods to change their clothes. Robin came out wearing dark red swim trunks that fell just above his knees, after hanging his costume on a branch to dry. "Okay, Star, I'm all ready. How about-…_you_…" Starfire had changed into a strapless green and white bikini. Wow. She looked amazing. She was toned, slim, bronze, tall and curvy. Robin's hand instinctively went up to tug at where his cape collar usually was, but there was nothing there. "Yes, Robin, I too am ready." Starfire marveled at the sight of shirtless Robin. His muscles were finely sculpted and his light skin had a pleasant, peaches and cream complexion that looked particularly striking against his shiny jet-black hair. Again, they just stared at each other, at a loss for words. Beast Boy cleared his throat loudly, meaning to attract attention. "Cyborg says its still too early to look for UFOs, so are we hitting the water or what?"

Robin and Starfire tore their eyes away from each other to look at him. "Uh, Beast Boy?" Robin began. "What. Is that. You're wearing?" Raven asked in an icy tone. Beast Boy was wearing nothing but a pair of goggles and an orange tiger striped speedo. "Duh. It's a bathing suit that shows off how much I've been working out. And the ladies love it. Isn't that right, Raven?" He posed a few times, and turned around, wiggling his hips. Robin made a gagging noise and Raven pulled her hood down and looked away. "Agh! My eyes. My poor eyes! The horror." She levitated off into the shadowy woods. Starfire let out an embarrassed laugh. "C'mon Star, let's go." Robin and Starfire wove their fingers together again, dashed into the sparkling surf and dove down beneath the waves.

Their campsite was in a national park, so the water was clear and well taken care of. It was teeming with life. Vibrant, brightly colored coral, anemones, seaweed, sea urchins, starfish, angelfish, clown fish, parrot fish, barracudas, entire schools of soldier fish, shrimp, bluefin tuna, spider crabs and spiny lobsters could be seen all over the place. Starfire loved the oceans on Earth. The seas of Tamaran were far too dangerous to go exploring in like this, due to the fact that so few wild animals were safe to be around, but here it was all so peaceful and magical. Robin touched her arm. He pointed down at two cute little yellow seahorses swimming together. She giggled. Next, she did the same to him and pointed to a silvery manta ray that was gliding gracefully on the ocean floor, its thin fins flowing like the waves above and its poisonous tail swishing back and forth. She grasped him by the wrists and playfully twirled him around in a circle, like she had seen the seahorses doing. Robin felt awkward, as the world of romance was very new to him, but he played along all the same. Suddenly she drew him in close with a serious look on her face. The Teen Wonder stared intently back at her, asking with his eyes: "_What is it, Star?_" She made no gesture at first, but then she gave him a smooch right on the nose and swam away laughing. Robin chased after her up to the surface, grinning like a happy idiot. Life didn't get much better than this.

They kept on swimming and exploring the water for a while, enjoying each other's company and the sights of the sea. Meanwhile, Raven remained in the shade and Cyborg and Beast Boy were standing near the shore, tossing around a Frisbee while they waited for the sun to go down. Beast Boy had to keep changing into seagulls, sandpipers, pelicans, dolphins, seals, and porpoises to keep up with Cyborg's long throws on the shore and into the water. Robin and Starfire swam back much closer to the shore and rested on a sandbar. The setting sun had now gone low enough that it had changed its color from yellow into a deep golden orange that reflected on the water and back on their faces. Starfire lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes weighed down with droplets of water. She placed a hand on Robin's face and leaned in for a kiss. Robin closed his eyes and returned her advances, massaging her lips with his own. "Yo! Lovebirds! You guys getting hungry?" Cyborg called. "For something a little other than face?" Beast Boy quipped. They pulled away from each other and rejoined their friends.

Robin and Starfire collected firewood and sticks to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on while Cyborg and Beast Boy got the food ready. Raven started the fire and they all sat down in a circle. Cyborg inhaled deeply. "Ah, hot dogs, easy to cook, easy to eat, and boy, do they taste great with-…mustard." Too late. Starfire had inserted a straw into the bottle and was gulping it down with reckless abandon. When she saw Cyborg staring at it, her eyes glowed green and she snarled and hissed, refusing to share. "I packed some extra bottles, Cyborg. Here you go," said Robin, taking out a smaller yellow bottle and handing it to his friend.

Beast Boy leaned back on his log, sighing in contentment, his stomach puffed out from the tofu dogs he had wolfed down. "Come on, Raven. Even you've gotta admit that this is a pretty nice way to spend an evening." Raven said nothing as yet another buzzing mosquito flew up to her. She glared at it, eyes white, and black energy surrounding her. The mosquito squeaked timidly and zipped away. "I can do without the bugs, the sand, and the beach, but I have to say: its not every night that you get to see the stars like this." Being in a national park meant minimal light pollution, so there was nothing to block out the thousands of twinkling lights in the sky above them. Starfire leaned against Robin and he put his arm around her waist.

A shooting star blazed into view and disappeared. But then it came back and zoomed over in a different direction. "Here we go, BB this is it!" Cyborg and Beast Boy leapt up and sprinted over to the beach. "Video camera?" "Check." "Tricked out telescope?" "Check." "Tripod?" "Check." "Laptop?" "Check." "Microphones?" "Check. "Headphones?" "Check." "Thermal radar?" "Is that was this doohickey is?" "Yep." "Oh. Then, check!" "Sonar?" "…" "Should be right next to where the radar was." "Checkeroo!" "…Well all right!" Starfire flew up, out and over them, frantically scanning the night sky. Robin followed her.

"Starfire, are you okay? Come down from there!" She flew back down reluctantly. Robin placed his hands on her shoulders. "Star, talk to me. I've never seen you this on edge. Something about these UFO sightings is really bothering you, what is it?" Starfire looked away. The other Titans also went over to her, waiting for her response. "You recall our visit to Tamaran, yes?" "Yeah…" Raven began, unsure of where this was going. "It was…nice," Cyborg said. Beast Boy nodded. "Not as nice as it once was. The Tamaran that you all saw was not the Tamaran of my childhood. Tamaran was once as beautiful and lush as earth: a warm, tropical paradise where people lived peacefully and happily, and in harmony with nature. But all of that changed when the Citadel attacked." Robin pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "The Citadel…I remember you telling us that you were supposed to be delivered to them as a servant for life, right?"

"Correct, Robin. The Citadel is the cruelest, most vicious empire known to me. An entire galaxy is under their command. When they decide that they want something, they will take it. They care nothing for honor, for right and wrong. The Gordanians are the Citadel's servant merchants and they were sent to my planet in order to take over and obliterate all Tamaraneans because we have never cooperated with the Citadel or given it anything. They came in droves. My people fought them back as best we could, but they kept coming and coming and coming. Millions upon millions of lives were lost and our planet was reduced to the way that you saw it: sparsely populated and barely inhabited by any form of life." As she went on, Starfire's voice got closer and closer to breaking. "I do not know how they so vastly outnumbered us, but they did, and after years of war, it became clear that Tamaran was either going to have to surrender or be obliterated entirely. That was when my sister Blackfire defied the authority of our parents and secretly offered me up to them as a prize and in exchange, the Gordanians would leave Tamaran alone. By the time everyone knew what she had done, it was too late and the Gordanians and the Citadel would not consider any other concession, and I was taken away and…you all are aware of the rest." None of the Titans knew quite what to say after that.

Starfire turned to Beast Boy. "So that is why I grew wary when I heard you talking about how many UFOs have been seen near here. The notion that this planet and its people that I have come to love so much could suffer the same fate as Tamaran terrifies me."

Beast Boy walked closer to her. "Star…whoa. I-I had no idea. But don't worry. We've saved the world before. The Titans can handle anything!" "That is what the warriors of Tamaran believed. But we were mistaken," she thought. "Beast Boy's right. When the Titans work together, we've proven that we can accomplish the impossible," Cyborg added. The green-eyed alien stifled her worries and gave a small smile. "Then, Robin, will you join me in the taking of a walk along the beach?" "Sure!" The young couple linked arms and walked on the wet, soft sand, letting the waves come up and soak their feet while they continued to enjoy the sights of the stars and the moonlight on the water.

Beast Boy had his eye to the telescope and slowly turning it left and right while Cyborg kept his eyes on the radar and sonar. Raven elected to stay at the fire circle and read a book that she had brought. "Dude, I'm not seeing anythi-oh, wait! Look! Look at that!" "That's an airplane, man." "Heh, heh. Right, I knew that, I was just messin' with ya." "Riiiight." "Hey, what's that? That orange thing!" "That would be Venus." "Awww." Cyborg had put on the headphones and was using a microphone to try and pick up sound. "Whoa. I think I'm hearing something weird. It sounds real alien. Beast Boy, come listen to this." Beast Boy grabbed the headphone on Cyborg's left ear and covered his own left ear with it, putting their heads together. "Dude. Seriously. That's not an alien, that's a loon." "Oh. Whoops? Hey, what's that? It sounds like some kind of siren!" Beast Boy listened again. "Cy, did you, like, totally flunk zoology in high school? That's a dolphin!" "Heh heh heh." "Here, why don't we switch, you take the telescope and the radar, and I'll take the mike and the headphones. Say, why don't you just use your built in radar?" "The scanners that I have in my circuits don't have quite enough range to look for something that far away." "Gotcha."

When Starfire and Robin finally got back from their walk, the decided to join Raven in the tent and get into their sleeping bags. Not long after, Cyborg and Beast Boy joined them. "Find anything?" Robin asked. "Not yet. We're just gonna take a little break. But the equipment is still going and we have an alarm set to go off it catches something." "Ugh, it stinks in here. I can barely breathe," said Raven. She took out a can of air freshener and started spraying it all over the tent. Beast Boy coughed and hacked. "Raven, cut that out! Now I can't breathe!" "Of course you can't. The scent of anything clean is foreign and repulsive to you. Just look at your room." Beast Boy harrumphed. "All right, you two. That's enough," said Cyborg. He got up and moved his sleeping bag in between theirs. "Good night, guys." said Robin, turning off the small light that was hung inside the tent and lying down. "Pleasant shlorvaks," Starfire said with a yawn.

The Titans slept peacefully for several hours in their tent. Sure enough, the alarm went off and Beast Boy and Cyborg ran out again to see what it was, knocking over the tent in the process and causing Robin, Raven, and Starfire to get hopelessly tangled up in it. "Is that what I think it is?" "I don't know, but I'm filming it!" It looked like a bright green fireball or comet and it was zooming towards a lighthouse that was near the shore. Without warning, it crashed into it, decimating it. "Guys, c'mon! Hurry up! We gotta get over there!" "Someone might have gotten hurt!" Beast Boy changed into an elasmosaurus and Cyborg and Robin hopped onto his back while Raven and Starfire flew above and ahead of them. Beast Boy swam as fast as he could, and when he had gotten close enough, he stopped, trying to figure out what was going on. There was a familiar-looking spaceship that stood where the lighthouse used to be. The door opened and several green-skinned, red-eyed, eight feet tall Gordanians stepped out, wielding their laser spears.

"No." Starfire whispered, eyes widened in fear and shock. "You guys again?" Cyborg barked. "What's the matter, didn't you get your butts kicked hard enough last time?" The tallest one among them stepped forward and hissed. "We are warning you, earthlings, all of you. Hand over the Tamaranean girl or you will be very, very, sorry." "Not on your life," Robin said hotly. "She is coming with us." A sizeable group of them, around thirty, poured out of the ship menacingly. "No she isn't. And that's final." said Raven.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" chanted the mistress of magic. She captured a wave with black energy, brought it up to a towering height, and sent it crashing down on four Gordanians, knocking them off their feet. "Titans, Go!" Robin shouted, pulling out a pair of escrima sticks from his utility and running into action. Cyborg curled his heavy molybdenum fingers into a fist and extended his hand grappling hook, swinging it around like a ninja's chain and attacking the invaders with it. He managed to land several hard-hitting blows that dented the Gordanians' armor, but one of them grabbed on to his weapon and used it to throw Cyborg to the ground. But before one of the aliens could use his spear on him, Cyborg charged up his sonic cannon and fired it at his attacker, blasting him square in the solar plexus. He then got up and continued shooting white sound at them. Beast Boy shifted into a pterodactyl, ripping away the spear of one Gordanian with his talons and throwing it aside. He grabbed one of the invaders, lifted him up, and slammed him against a rocky face of the shore. Another Gordanian snuck up behind the shapeshifter supreme, leapt into the air and stuck him with his spear, shocking him back into human form. Beast Boy rolled out of the way before he could take another blow, and then he changed into a grizzly bear and went back on the offensive.

Robin found himself surrounded on all sides by about five alien soldiers. He did a backflip, using his knee to uppercut one of his attackers before fighting more off with his escrima sticks, blocking their blows and then performing a flawless split kick that knocked two more out. Raven was lifting up rocks and winging them at her foes, using one to force a Gordanian to release Robin after it had pinned the Boy Wonder to his chest. Robin then returned the favor by throwing several exploding disks at another alien that had kicked her in the abdomen and winded her, then running to her side and guarded her while she regained her breath and then resumed her assault, shooting out bursts of black magic.

Starfire dove down into the melee, firing starbolt beams from her eyes, which were blazing with emerald flames. Next, she charged up her the starbolts in her hands and began firing those as well. She then used her superhuman strength to toss one Gordanian into another, flooring them both. Unfortunately, she wasn't ready when another attacked her with a right hook, sending her down from above. Starfire was down, but she was not out. She focused more astral energy, powered by her righteous fury, between her two hands and used it to create a massive beam that she used as a ray, standing in one place while she turned around in a circle, taking out any invader that was still standing.

"Consider that a warning," Beast Boy snarled. "When you mess with the bull, you get the horns." "When you threaten one of us, you threaten all of us," Raven continued. "And we don't take well to hostile aliens." "So why don't you crawl back to your ship, go back to wherever it is you came from and leave us alone," said Cyborg. The Gordanians slowly came back to life and picked themselves up, surrendering and retreating to their ship, which hovered into the air. But before it took off, a holographic image was displayed. "You do not know how great of a mistake you have just made. The Citadel will not stand for defeat and by attacking me, Lord Trogarr, a great leader of this race, you children have committed an act of war. Soon the Citadel will launch a relentless invasion of your little blue planet, and it shall not rest until it has obliterated every last one of you earthlings." Robin glared. "We're not afraid. Go away and never come back if you know what's good for you."

"Wait!" Starfire flew up near the holographic head. "If I allow you to take me to the Citadel, will you leave this planet and its people alone?" "Star, no!" "We're not gonna let them take you!" "No, Tamaranean. An act of war is an act of war. The Citadel will not ignore what your friends have done and this planet will be destroyed whether you come with us now or when you are dragged off again after the Citadel claims victory. As you know, it is a long journey from the Citadel to Earth, which is why we have not seen each other for so long. We gave you one last chance to hand yourself over peacefully and avoid sending this planet into war, but you did not take it, and mark my words. Soon this planet will be cast into absolute oblivion." Lord Trogarr howled with laughter and the hologram disappeared. The ship left for deep space, leaving Earth's atmosphere and the Teen Titans standing on the beach, defiant, yet uncertain. _To be Continued…_

* * *

><p>Well, there it is! The Titans are gonna have an all-out war on their hands, so their gonna need all the friends that they can get to help them, so a lot of the Honorary Titans will show up. Also, I'm really trying to write this fic as if it were a real season of TT, so only about four "episodes" will be for the main arc, while the rest will be individual character storiesepisodes. Stay tuned! And thanks for reading and have a good one!-

Shadow


	2. Episode Two: Azar's Return

It was a dark, grim night in the realm of Azarath. Usually, the Temple was all lit up with the soft, comforting glow of candlelight and soothing perfumes of incense, but tonight it was swathed in inescapable gloom. Only two of the candles on the great altar out of the hundreds inside the temple were ablaze, and the sacred flame of peace was reduced to the smallest ember it could possibly be. The rest of the candles were set in lanterns that the monks and nuns of Azarath held. They were gathered in large rings, centered around a table that had been carved from white marble and the body of the ancient woman that was lying on top of it. She was clothed in golden armor, her hair was whiter than snow, and her pale, wrinkled skin held traces of a long lost beauty. Her eyes were closed, and she gripped the gold rod that symbolized her authority as the leader of Azarath and the Order of Azar. Azar was partially covered by a red gossamer funeral shroud that was pulled up to her torso.

Only a select few of the denizens of Azarath were actually standing by Azar's side as her soul prepared to leave her body. One was an old man, one of her dearest friends, most devoted followers, and chosen successor. Another was a middle-aged man that had also been a great student. The two that stood closest to Azar were female, like her: a tall, slender woman and her daughter. The woman was named Arella, and she wore a long white robe, had shoulder-length hair the color of lilacs, and a scarlet, diamond-shaped gemstone was placed over her third eye chakra. Her daughter stood next to her. She bore the same eyes, hair and gemstone as her mother, but her skin was a light shade of grey, her face much rounder, and her robe was dark blue. Azar spoke, though her eyes remained closed, for she no longer had the strength to keep them open. "Arella, I turn now to you…" Arella pulled down her hood and took the dying mystic's hand in her own. "For trust and for love… to do what must be done." Arella nodded, her violet eyes brimming with tears, and replied in a quavering voice: "I'll do anything for you. You know I would."

Azar gestured to Arella's daughter. "Raven has been taught what she needs to know. Her emotions can be controlled if you do not tempt her. But you must continue her education, Arella. Carry my torch and teach her the use of all her unique powers. But more important Arella-however cold the girl may seem, never shun her, and never fear her. And above all, continue to love and cherish her as I know you do and as I have."

"Yes, Azar."

"Raven, dear Raven, come closer."

Raven took a few steps forward. "I'm here, Azar."

"Raven…I…have something for you." The old woman summoned the last of her strength and reached down beneath the spider silk covering to withdraw a belt. "This girdle was worn by my mother, and her mother, and her mother before her. Through it, they have always been with me. But now I pass it on to you, sweet child. So that you will always be guided and strengthened by my own spirit, even as it leaves this body behind."

Raven gratefully accepted Azar's gift. The old woman's hands glowed with faint white light as she infused the jewels on the belt with her essence. Once this was finished, Raven tied the belt around her waist. "From now on, you shall have my guidance, my love and my protection. Mine, and all who dwell in Azarath. _Forever…_" Azar's final words left her lips and her soul departed. The candles and lanterns all went out, and all were engulfed in darkness.

Raven opened her eyes. She had been sitting cross-legged in her room, encircled by fragrant candles and ancient spellbooks. She sighed and came out of her meditation. Raven loved Titans Tower and she truly felt that it was where she belonged, but she missed Azarath from time to time. The vision of her birthplace being incinerated by fire, had returned to her several times in her nightmares. Everything had been so hectic, first with the coming of Trigon, next with the Brotherhood of Evil's global attack, she had had little time to contemplate what had happened to Azarath. To her mother… The order of Azar was no more, and _everyone_ in Azarath was dead. Raven's stomach lurched and she felt as though a frozen stone had lodged itself in her throat.

A knocking came at her door, so she got up and answered it. It was Robin. "Hey, Raven. It's dinnertime, and the rest of us are about to order some pizza, so I thought I'd ask what toppings you-" Before he could finish his question, the Boy Wonder caught a glimpse of Raven's reddened eyes and face. "Whoa. Raven, you look like you're about to cry. What's wrong?" He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked down and away from him. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Robin moved a little closer to her. "Raven, please. Don't lie to me. Something's really bothering you. Just tell me what it is." She retreated back into the shadows of her room and closed her door. "Its nothing, Robin."

To her surprise, Robin wedged his foot in between the door and the wall. Then, he pushed it back further with his hand. "No, Raven. You're not fine. And you're not doing this to me again." Robin saw that his slightly harsh tone was upsetting Raven even further, so he softened his expression and voice. "Look, I care about you _a lot_. Do you realize how worried I get when you just shove me away all the time and refuse to tell me what's on your mind or let me at least try to help? I'm your friend, aren't I? Don't you trust me?"

Raven remembered everything that Robin had done for her during their battle with Trigon. He had helped her. He had _saved _her. Even during the times when she believed that nothing could. Raven sighed. "Here, come in. Let's talk in private." The two Teen Titans walked over to Raven's bed and sat down. "You know that I'm not originally from Earth, right? That I was born in Azarath?"

He nodded, listening intently. "Mm-hm." "Before Trigon came to Earth, and when I was still searching for a way to avoid my destiny, I went back to Azarath, and I found that-that… Trigon had destroyed it. It and-everyone in it. It came as such a shock, I guess I just repressed it, but now that we've finally had a moment's peace just waiting for the aliens to come, I was meditating, and it all came rushing back. I remembered-the monks who protected me, my home, my teacher-and…my-_my mother_…" Raven tried her hardest to restrain herself, but her voice broke anew and the ice returned to her throat, rendering her unable to speak.

Robin's heart sank and he felt a pang of anguish in his chest. This type of pain and trauma was all too familiar to him. "Oh, Raven…" Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled her to him. She gasped, not knowing whether to hug him back or shove him away. "I'm so sorry. I know exactly how you feel. My…" This was going to be awkward, Robin could be almost as reclusive as Raven. "My Mom's gone, too." She knew that, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. She rested her head on his warm chest, placed her hands on his shoulders and let him quietly hold her until her breathing returned to normal and her eyes became dry again.

Robin had an idea. "Here, let's go to my room, I wanna show you something." He took her by the hand and led her down the hall into his room. He opened a drawer in his wall and removed an elegantly carved pine box. "Its called a memory box. When my mom passed away, a person who helped take care of me afterwards showed me how to make this so that no matter what, I could always remember her and keep her with me. Maybe you could make one too." He took off the lid and showed Raven what was inside. The contents didn't seem to be anything special, just a bunch of miscellaneous little objects. "Look, everything in here has a memory behind it." He took out a small black hairclip. "See this? It belonged to my Mom. She had really long hair, so when we would do a show, she would have to use about thirty of these clips and pins to keep it in place and away from her eyes and mouth." He smiled and let out a quiet laugh. "Heh. My Dad and I always used to tease her and joke that if she were ever to walk under a giant magnet she'd get stuck to it and then we wouldn't be able to pull her down."

Then, he took out another object: a stuffed grey elephant. "Don't tell Beast Boy or Cyborg that I still have this or they'll never let me live it down. She made me this to sleep with when I was a baby, since I loved the elephants at our circus so much and-"

Wait a minute! What was he thinking? Raven didn't want to hear all that! What made him think that she cared about any of his babbling? He rubbed the back of his head and blushed in embarrassment. "Uh, I, ah-I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all this."

"No. It's-it's fine. Look, I have something like a memory box, too." She placed her hands on Azar's belt. "This belt belonged to my teacher, Azar, the leader of Azarath. Even though she passed away a long time ago, with this, I can still feel her presence. Hers and my mother's. They're always with me, giving me strength and guiding me."

"I'm glad that you at least have that. And you have me. Me, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire, too. If you ever need anything, anything at all, just tell us. After all, we're more than just friends. We're a family. You said it yourself, remember? That's what families do. They take care of each other. And I know I could count on you if I ever went through something like this again."

Raven managed a tiny smile and rubbed one of her violet eyes again. "Yeah. Robin…thank you." This time, she hugged him, and he returned the favor. _Raven…_

She jerked her head up. "Huh? Did you hear that?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Hear what?"

"Someone just said my name."

_Raven._

"Who's there, who is it?"

"Raven, are you sure you heard something? I don't hear a thing. Hello? Is anyone there?"

_Raven!_

"What do you want, who are you?"

"HEY, ROBIN!" They both heard Beast Boy's voice. "Did Raven tell you what she wants yet? C'mon I'm starving!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I. Don't. Care. As long its not onions or tofu!" Raven cried.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh!"

"Raven, are you sure you heard something?" Robin asked.

"I don't know. Look, call me when the food gets here, okay? I think I need to go meditate."

Robin nodded. "Okay. Again, let me know if there's anything I can help you with."

The mistress of magic nodded and returned to her room while the teen wonder went back to the living room of the Tower.

_Raven…_

"All right. Someone or something is trying to get my attention." Raven strode over to her colossal bookcase and searched for the tome she had on contacting the spirit world. It was very large and weighed at least fifteen pounds, so she used her magic to pull it out from in between the other books and lay it down on the floor in the center of her room. She sat down in front of it and opened it. Contacting spirits had always been her weakest point in Azarath, and she had only managed to do it successfully a few times. Also, she could never do it alone. If she was with Arella or Azar, she could have done it but now…

_Raven!_

Suddenly Raven felt a burning sensation on her waist. Her belt had become red hot. It blazed for a few seconds and then became cool again. It all became clear to her. The spirit that wanted to speak to her was Azar! Raven opened the book and looked for the method on how to begin a séance. This book only had information on how to contact or access the spirit world as a whole, which she didn't need at that moment. She returned to her bookshelf and reexamined it. "What happened to my book on séances?" Raven asked herself. "That must have been one of the ones I sold a while ago. Well, looks like I'd better go the library." The mistress of magic exited her room and went to the living room. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy were gathered around the sofa, playing a video game. Starfire and Beast Boy were sitting next to each other, mashing buttons and playing a fighting game. Robin and Cyborg were standing behind them.

"Go Star! You've got this!" cheered Robin.

"Come on, BB! It's all you!" Cyborg cried.

It was a very close match, but Starfire just managed to unleash her character's special combo and eliminate the last of Beast Boy's character's health. "Robin, we are triumphant!" she exclaimed.

Robin high-fived her. "Yes we are! How do you like them apples, Cyborg?"

"Move it, grass stain," Cyborg snarled, shoving Beast Boy out of the way.

"Now get your tail feathers over here, Birdie Boy! Siddown and let's play."

Robin cracked his knuckles and chuckled confidently. "With pleasure."

Beast Boy looked up and noticed that Raven was on her way out. "Hey Raven, you going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Just to the library, though, no big deal," she replied.

"Perhaps one of use should accompany you?" Starfire asked.

"I'd rather go alone. I'll be back in time for dinner."

Raven made it to the Jump City University library, the most extensive one in the city. After learning where the sections on psi, magic, paganism, and Wicca were from the librarian at the main desk, she climbed the wooden staircase to that floor and looked through the myriad enormous shelves. Across the room, she caught sight of a slender, small-boned girl with strawberry blonde hair that reached down to her thighs who was struggling to reach a certain book on one of the higher shelves. Raven walked over and stood beside her.

"Here, let me get that for you," she said, using her magic to lower the book down.

"Thank you," she said, smiling shyly. "Wait a minute-Oh my gosh, you're Raven aren't you? Of the Teen Titans? Wow! It's an honor to meet you. My name's Lilith, by the way."

Raven took Lilith's outstretched hand and shook it. "…Uh…nice to meet you too."

"So what brings you to the library?" Lillith asked. "I'm a regular here, so if you need help finding anything I'd be happy to give it to you."

"I'm looking for a book on séances. That and just about anything to do with ghosts, I guess."

Lilith's eyes widened. "Really? You know, I'm a medium myself. So if you need another person to conduct one, I'd do it with you. I've done a lot of them."

"A medium? You're psychic?"

"Yeah," she replied, tucking several locks of hair behind her ear. "So it wouldn't be any trouble. The university is on break now, too."

Raven hesitated, thinking hard if she should trust this girl or not. She had no reason not to trust her but she also didn't have much of a reason _to_ trust her. Still, this was a matter not to be taken lightly, especially if Azar herself was trying to speak to Raven. It was also probably unlikely that she was going to find another medium in Jump City.

"All right," said Raven. "Can you come to the tower now, or-?"

"Yes, I'm free tonight. Just let me grab my bag and we can go. I left it downstairs."

Lilith went away to retrieve her tote bag on the bottom floor. Raven waited at the top and took out her communicator.

"Raven calling the tower."

Back home, Raven's face appeared on the giant screen on the main floor of the tower. Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire looked up from where they stood around the table, cutting up their pizza and plating it.

"Raven where are you? The pizza's gonna get cold if you don't get back soon," said Cyborg.

"Look, I need to ask all of you a favor."

Starfire swallowed a bite a slice that she had been munching on. "Of course Raven. What is your request?"

"I can sense that a spirit from Azarath is trying to contact me, but séances can't be held with just one person. Also, I never mastered contacting spirits when I was studying there, so I need someone who has experience holding them. When I was at the library I met a student named Lilith who says she's a medium, and I'm going to bring to the Tower, if that's okay."

"Wow, it's really that urgent?" Cyborg inquired.

"Yes," said Raven sternly. "It is."

"Then no problem. Right guys?" said Beast Boy.

"Right," Robin assented. "But just keep the alarm button ready with your communicator so you can call for help if you need it. I'll go run a computer crosscheck on Lilith. And I'll let you know if I find anything."

About fifteen minutes later, Raven and Lilith were alone in Raven's room.

"Wow. You really did a nice job with the feng shui in here," said Lilith, placing four candlesticks down on the floor in a large square in the center of the room.

"That was the idea," Raven replied, lighting the wicks with a quick spell.

The two girls sat down cross-legged and facing each other inside of the square.

"So, do you think that there is a specific person who is trying to speak to you? Because if you do and if you have an object that belonged to that person, we can use it to establish a link with him or her."

Raven nodded and unhooked her belt, placing it in between them.

"Her name is Azar. She gave this to me as she was dying."

"Excellent. All right. Then let's begin. Give me your hands."

Raven placed her own grey hands in Lilith's and closed her eyes.

"Clear your mind, and I'll guide us," Lilith chanted. "This is a peaceful place. All are welcome here. We mean no harm. We are not afraid. Please, come to us."

As those last words left Lilith's lips, the Raven's belt rattled and shook lightly on the floor.

"All right, Raven. Stay calm. That means we've made contact. Spirit, whether or not your name is Azar, please come to us, speak to us and through us. Your presence is welcome here."

A gust of wind was heard and every object in the room seemed to shiver and quake. Lilith tightened her grip on Raven's hands.

"Raven, I can feel her now. Sh-she's coming. I can sense her so strongly."

"So can I Lilith, just hold on. Don't let go. Azar won't hurt us. She never would."

Lilith's eyes snapped open and Raven saw that her irises and pupils were gone, leaving only the whites.

"Lilith, are you-"

"I am here, Raven. It is I, Azar."

Raven's breath caught in her throat and the medium stood up. There was a burst of blinding light as Lilith's skin became illuminated and she disappeared into the flash. When Raven no longer had to look away, it was no longer Lilith who stood before her, but Azar, dressed in her commanding bright red robes and as tall and proud as ever.

Azar's reached out and placed her wrinkled hands on Raven's shoulders.

"Now, come. You and I must return."

Raven's fact at first showed reluctance, but she then nodded and merged her energies with her former teacher as they departed to Azarath after casting the spell to enter it together.

Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin opened the door to Raven's room a few minutes later.

"Raven? Hello?"

"Raven, where are you?"

Raven was nowhere to be found, there was no sign that she had lost her communicator, but her signal was not showing up on their radar.

"No way," said Beast Boy. "Did she…disappear?"

Robin looked around the room for clues. "It doesn't look like there was a fight or anything. If she went somewhere, she probably wasn't taken by force."

"But how are we to locate her if we can neither contact nor track her?" Starfire inquired.

Beast Boy turned into a bloodhound and sniffed around on the floor for a few moments, then he became human again.

"She's just gone. Her trail just ends here. Maybe she teleported somewhere?"

"Let's think," Cyborg replied. "If she's not anywhere on Earth, where would she go?"

The Titans all came to the same conclusion at once.

"Azarath!" they all exclaimed in unison.

"But how are we supposed to get there?" Cyborg asked. "We have to make sure she's okay and none of us can do magic. And I don't think the T-Ship can travel through different dimensions."

"Maybe not," said Beast Boy. "But I know someone who can."

A few moments later, a blue ring appeared in the main room of Titans Tower and Herald stepped out through it.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Herald! Nice to see you again, dude," said Beast Boy.

"Same here, Beast Boy. So I got your call. What's up? Do you guys need my help with anything?"

"We think Raven just up and went to Azarath without warning," Robin explained. "We can contact her with our communicators there, so we need some way to get there ourselves. Herald, do you think you can get us to that place?"

Herald looked thoughtful. "Azarath...can't say I've ever been there. But it's pretty well known out where I'm from. But I think I should be able to get you guys there. Just need a moment to concentrate."

Herald closed his eyes, remembering the descriptions and pictures he had heard and seen of that faraway world during his own education, trying to visualize it as clearly as he could in his mind.

"Okay. I think I've got it." With that, he blew a solitary note into his silver trumpet, creating another portal in the air.

"Let's go."

Raven and Azar arrived at a dead, shattered world. Azarath was a broken skeleton of it's former self. The ashes of its splendor abounded as far as the eye could see.

"Trigon did this," Raven reported. "Just before he used me as a portal, I went back to try and ask for help in avoiding my destiny. But by the time I got there, it had already been destroyed. I think I spoke with my mother's ghost, but that was it."

"Why did you choose to leave Azarath in the first place?"

"I wanted to try and do some good in the world that I was destined to destroy. And we saved it. Earth is safe from Trigon. We put him back in his prison."

"We?"

"Me and my friends. The Teen Titans. We're a team of superheroes."

"I see. Then…you have turned your back on everything that I have taught you."

Raven paused. "What?"

"I know what kind of people 'superheroes' are, Raven. They live by violence and can never create peace even though that is what they claim their goal to be."

Raven was unsure of how to respond. Could Azar be right?

"My great-grandmother, the first one to call herself Azar, left Earth in search of peace. All she saw was fighting. Violence ultimately does nothing but eventually beget more violence. She was a powerful sorceress who had mastered travel between worlds and dimensions. She went a long odyssey in search of a truly peaceful world without any fighting, but she could not find a single one. It was then that the answer came to her. If she could not find a peaceful world, she would have to create one of her own. So she returned to Earth and gathered others who thought like her, and they created their own world in an uninhabited dimension. Thus Azarath was born. To this day, it remains the only world that has never been tainted by violence and war. And now it rips my heart to shreds to see that it is gone. Now there is not even one world in this universe that does not know violence or war."

"We're not the ones who cause violence," said Raven. "We only fight the people who cause it."

"But does the fighting ever end. Raven? Do the criminals you fight ever give up? Do criminals on Earth ever stop trying to commit crime? As I've said before, you and friends can never create peace."

"Maybe…maybe we can't."

"But what are we supposed to do?" Cyborg asked. He and the rest of the Titans had found Raven.

"Just let criminals attack people?" Beast Boy continued.

"How did you all get here?" Raven asked.

"We had help," said Robin, gesturing to Herald, who stepped forward and knelt in front of Azar.

"Azar, my dimension holds you and yours in high esteem. It truly is an honor to be in your presence."

"That horn. You are from Limbo, aren't you? The dimension in between all the others. Your people scatter themselves everywhere, stepping through the boundaries between space as easily as if they were stones in a creek. But even your world has known senseless fighting."

Herald got up and lowered his gaze. "Yes…yes we have. Even Limbo has had its own wars and its criminals."

"And that is why we battle," said Starfire. "We cannot allow those who do such terrible things to go unpunished."

"And even if they never give up," Robin added. "Neither will we. And we'll never stop doing the best we can. That's all we can do. Even if by fighting all we can do is lessen crime by just a little bit, that will still help so many people. And that's good enough for me."

"It's good enough for me too," Raven concurred. "When I realized that my powers could be used to help people, I couldn't just stay on Azarath where nobody ever needed my help. So I went to Earth and with their help, I've done good things-Azar?"

Azar's face turned white as her figure suddenly faded and Lilith collapsed on her knees before the Titans, gasping.

"Lilith!" Raven dashed over to her acquaintance and supported her.

"…Sorry Raven. I know she wanted to say more, but my powers aren't strong enough to channel a spirit for that long. I don't have any strength left."

The mistress of magic lifted the medium off the ground. "You did everything you could, Lilith. Thank you. Now let's get you home."

Herald blew another note in his trumpet and the Titans took Lilith back to her dormitory in the university.

As they started walking back to the Tower, their communicators began blinking with the trouble signal.

"The university museum," said Robin. "There's a robbery going on there. Come on!"

They hurried to the scene of the crime as fast as they could, but they found a large truck driving away with priceless stolen artifacts.

"Titans, go!"

Starfire lifted up Cyborg and flew up over the truck, in front of it. Starfire dropped beside her as the two dug their heels into the ground and shoved the vehicle back, preventing it from going on any further. Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and tore open the door, ripping the terrified drivers out of their seats, then jumping down and pinning them to the ground.

Robin blew open the door with an electric disk that he configured with his tools to do only minimal damage.

Herald opened another portal and Raven removed the stolen objects and started to throw them into it. Two more robbers ran out of the truck and one tried to hit Robin with a crowbar.

"Get outta here, you little punks!"

Robin vaulted over him and landed a hard kick in the base of his opponent's back, sending him stumbling forward. Robin then shot out his grappling hook, binding him with the line.

Raven and Herald continued to recapture all the items as Starfire and Cyborg ran around to help Robin and Beast Boy take down the rest of the robbers.

"Robin! Toss me one of your staffs!" Cyborg called. Robin complied and Cyborg bent it into a binding ring that he used to tie all of the criminals together after he KO'd another with a right jab and Starfire stunned the last one into submission with a few well-aimed starbolts. It was at the time that the police arrived to bring the criminals to jail and museum staff came out to thank the Titans for their work.

"Those artifacts that you recovered are priceless and many of them are quite unique and rare. We can't thank you enough for what you've done, Titans."

"Aw, you're welcome," Cybord responded, beaming.

"All the pleasure is ours," Starfire added.

"No worries, dudes," said Beast Boy, winking.

"That's why we're here," said Herald.

"And we always will be," Robin concluded and Raven nodded. "Now let's get back to the Tower."

When they had all gotten back home, Herald prepared to leave again, but before he could, the Titans stopped him.

"So you want me to stay around here?"

"If you can," said Raven.

"We really need all hands on deck," Robin added. "We're going to have an all-out war on our hands with the Citadel coming."

"Got it. I'll stick around you and the other Titans for as long as you guys need me. I'm one of you now, after all."

"You hungry, man? We could heat up all the pizza we never ate in the microwave," said Cyborg.

"Sure, I'm starving."

All of the Titans sat down to eat up their reheated pizza and afterwards, Raven called Herald away to her room.

"A séance?" he asked. "I don't really have any experience with them, but if more magic energy is what you need, then I could probably help you there."

"I know we've asked so much of you already, it's just that Azar still wants to speak with me, and I still need to speak with her. I'll try to keep it short."

The two blue-cloaked heroes sat down cross-legged on the floor again as Raven led them through the motions of the séance. This time, a white aura appeared from the belt and it grew. The spirit of Azar stood before Raven and Herald once more.

"So you would have me come before you again. Even during this time of great sorrow for me. All of my work, and all of the work of those who came before me has become meaningless. All that we did was for naught."

Raven gently grasped her teacher's hand.

"That's not true, Azar. I was happy on Azarath because it was so peaceful. You all taught me what it means to be compassionate. And if you hadn't shown me how valuable peace is, I wouldn't have been willing to work for it. I want to help bring the peace that existed on Azarath here, to Earth."

"There are a lot of people in Limbo who felt the same way," Herald added.

"That's why we fight back against our criminals and villains too, in addition to the ones in other worlds. We've always admired how hard you worked to keep your world peaceful. And how you imprisoned Trigon and saved so many more worlds from being destroyed by him. Because you never had to spend any effort on fighting or war, you helped make Azarath so beautiful, so advanced. We all saw that, and it inspired us to work for peace in our own way."

"But peace is something you can't just wait for. It's something that has to be built and created. And that's what we're going to do. When I needed your help to learn how to be free from Trigon's influence on me, you taught me what I needed to know and never turned your back on me. Even though you all knew what I was destined to do. All of these people here on earth need my help too, and because of the love and compassion that you and my friends here all showed me, I can't turn my back on anyone here either. And maybe someday the fighting will end. The future is uncertain, so we all just have to hope and work for the best with all that we can."

Azar seemed immeasurably moved by their words. She placed her hands on their shoulders.

"Thank you both of you. You each have my final blessing."

She then leaned forward and took Raven in her arms.

"Thank you, sweet child. I see now that you are right. And now, I can at last rest in peace. But I will always be with you, and so will she."

Azar stepped back and then the spirit of Arella appeared in front of her daughter.

She was smiling and there were tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Raven…I'm so proud of you. And I'm so sorry it had to be as it was between us."

"Mother…I wish we could have been a little more like a real family too, but that was because of Trigon, not you. Everything that you did, teaching me how to meditate, to use my powers, to control my emotions and everything else was to protect me, and I've always known and appreciated that, even if you couldn't really raise me. But I do know that you loved me, and I love you too."

Arella took Raven's face in her ghostly hands and kissed her forehead. Then, they too embraced.

"Farewell, Raven. I truly hope that you and your friends attain all that you work for."

"So do I, Mother. So do I."

At last, the spirits departed, and Herald and Raven were alone again.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked her.

"Mm-hm. Say Herald, do you know how to play chess?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, all.<strong>

**Yeah, I know that "Family Reunion" was previously labeled as the second episode, but The thing is, I always actually intended that episode to be one of the last episodes in this "season" but when I thought of the idea, I couldn't get it out of my head, so I just decided to write it and get it out the way and let me do the earlier episodes later. But this one was always intended to be the second episode. Sorry to be so confusing!  
><strong>

**As always, thanks for reading and have a good one! And thanks for the faves and everything else. Also please write reviews and comments and let me know anything that you think!  
><strong>

**Stay beautiful.  
><strong>


	3. Episode Three: Family Reunion Act One

" Alright, Beast Boy you've got fifteen: hit or stay?" "Hit!" Robin pulled one card from off the top of the deck and laid it on top of Beast Boy's two face-up cards. It was a ten. "Oooh. Too bad."

"Aw, man!"

"Better luck next time, BB," said Cyborg. "Robin, hit me."

"You got it," the Boy Wonder replied, putting another card on Cyborg's pile. Now he had thirteen.

"Hit again?" Robin asked.

"Hit!"

A two.

Fifteen.

"One more time!"

A seven.

"Aaaagh! So close!" Cyborg wailed and threw his head back in exasperation. The dealer turned to the rest of the players.

"Kid Flash, hit or stay?" The super-speedster scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…Hit!" With the addition of one more card, he had nineteen.

"Stay." Lastly, Robin turned to Jericho. "Hit or stay, Jericho?" The blond mute smiled and smacked the table. _Hit_. Five.

"Hit again?" Jericho smacked the table again and Robin complied. He kept going until Jericho had four cards.

"Wow, another more hit and you've got five-card Charlie. That hardly ever happens. Hit one more time?"

Jericho beamed and nodded. _Yes_! Twenty-three. When Robin finally dealt his own cards, he also went over twenty-one points.

"Darn it! Well, Kid Flash, I guess this means you win this game."

"Wait wait wait, hold up!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Since when does anyone win at blackjack with only nineteen points?" Jinx walked over and joined the boys, leaning over the couch.

"Since he has a girlfriend that can give all the other players bad luck," said the sorceress. She cackled and snapped her fingers, creating a spark of pinkish-purple magic.

"Why, thank you, doll-face," said Kid Flash, reaching up to give her a peck on the cheek. But she rejected him, red-faced, glaring, gritting her teeth and shaking a finger in his face.

"WHAT did I tell you about calling me 'doll-face'?" He shrank down below her. "That…I shouldn't do it unless I want to get cursed with seven years bad luck?"

"Right. So don't do it!"

"Alright. Howzabout…baby?"

"No."

"Honey?"

"No."

"Cupcake?"

"No."

"Puddin'?"

"Just stay far away from anything food related if you know what's good for you."

"Lovebug?"

"NO!"

"Smoochiebucket?"

"…I'm not even gonna comment on that one."

"Okay, okay. Then how do you feel about gorgeous?"

"Gorgeous?" Jinx asked incredulously. "Uhhh, yeah. Gorgeous is just fine," she said, turning as red as a strawberry.

"Awesome. Then gorgeous it is," said Kid Flash, putting his arm around her with a satisfied smile on his face. She smiled back at him, staring deeply into his blue, almond-shaped eyes.

"Helloooo! Watch it with the PDA, you two!" Beast Boy groaned. "It's time for us to get going, anyway. Bye guys." Jinx replied standing up, her arm still around her boyfriend. "See you later! Always a pleasure," Kid Flash and his girlfriend left the tower, leaving Jericho and the other Titans behind.

Jericho got up from the table and made the sign for "thank you", moving his hand forward off of his grinning mouth, as if he were blowing a kiss. Robin made the same motion that the mute Titan did, except that he moved his flat hand forward from his chin. The sign for: "your welcome." Jericho's face lit up. He pointed at Robin, then he tapped his head with his fist and pointed first up, then back at himself: _You understand me? _"Yeah," said Robin with a slight chuckle, making a nodding motion with his fist, which meant "yes." A blaring crash of thunder interrupted their conversation. "You know, Jericho, it's looking really rough out there. I think that the trains are probably gonna close down. Why don't you crash here tonight?" Jericho looked first at Robin, then over at the other Titans. _Is that okay with you_? He signed.

"Sure, no worries," said Cyborg.

"Oh yes, of course! Let us have the sleepover!" said Starfire.

"Fine by me," said Beast Boy.

"Whatever," Raven said with a shrug. Jericho signed _thank you_ again. Another terrific roar of thunder was heard. Jericho covered his ears and winced.

Robin frowned. "Do you want to sleep in my room? It'll probably be a little quieter in there." _Oh, no!_ , Jericho signed, _you don't have to-_"It's no big deal. Really. I've got plenty of space. C'mon. Let's go get things set up." _Okay_.

"Yeah, and while you guys are doing that, Cyborg and I'll pick out a movie to watch," said Beast Boy. "And I shall prepare the popcorn and non-cotton candies!" said Starfire, flying over to the kitchen.

Robin and Jericho started to head over to his room, unaware that someone was watching them.

Standing across from the Titans Tower island was the thief known as Red X. He watched Jericho and Robin leave the Tower living room from his highly advanced binoculars in an alcove, keeping both hidden and dry from the rain. "It looks like he's staying over with them tonight. At Titans tower."

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem for you, correct?" came the voice in his ear microphone.

"Nah, I don't think so. I'm just gonna hang here until they're all asleep, catch em' off guard,"

"Excellent. Do not fail me and I will reward you handsomely. And the Teen Titans will learn not to take from me what's mine."

"Got it."

"The bathroom is right behind that door over there. Feel free to use the extra toothbrush and the shampoo and cream rinse," said Robin as they dragged out the inflatable mattress that he kept in his closet and put sheets on it. "So, Jericho, tell me about yourself. I'd really like to get to know more of you honorary Titans. Like…how did you get your powers? They're really something."

Jericho's face fell and he looked away. _I'd rather not talk about it. I'm sorry._

"Oh. Excuse me, I didn't mean to upset you."

Jericho smiled sadly. _Don't worry about it_. Just then, Raven opened the door.

"Robin, here's your copy of _The Sign of Four _back. I finished it."

"Thanks, Raven. That was fast. Did you like it?"

"Yeah, it was pretty good. I can see why you said it's one of your favorites. Do you have anything else by Arthur Conan Doyle? If Beast Boy and Cyborg are picking the movie again tonight, I'm gonna need another book."

"Cool. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I don't read as much as you do, but I've read that book at least five times," Robin got up from the floor and walked over to his bookshelf to pick out another book to lend to Raven. Let's see now…Hmm…No, I think you've read everything I've got by Doyle, since I already gave you _A Study in Scarlet_, _The Hound of the Baskervilles _and the short stories collection, so how about you try this one? I think that you'd really like it too. Especially since you're a fan of the horror genre. I read it when I was twelve and I couldn't get a good night's sleep for a week afterward."

Robin placed a thick, worn, novel in her hands. Raven studied the fading cover illustration, fraying jacket, and title written in large, menacing, blood-red letters.

"_The Shining_. Well, I've liked most of what you've given me so far. Thank you."

"No problem."

Jericho walked up to them and pointed at the book. _That one gave me lots of nightmares_. He signed.

"Oh you've read it too, Jericho? It's a great story isn't it? Hey, you and Raven haven't been formally introduced yet, have you? Well, now's your chance." He stepped back and the two teenagers just stared at each other for a moment. Jericho beamed at her and he wrote on his notepad: "Its nice to meet you."

Raven held up her hands. "Its okay. I understand sign language. Azarath accepted everyone no matter what as long as they believed in peace, so there were a lot of handicapped people, and it was made sure that we could communicate with everyone."

Jericho's face lit up again. "_Awesome!_" He signed.

Raven's face turned the slightest bit red at this. "Uh, yeah, I guess it is…awesome. So you like reading?"

"_Yes_, _and writing too. Especially poetry._" The mute Titan flipped through his notebook excitedly. He came to one older page, passed it over to her. She took it from him and read it silently, with Robin looking over her shoulder.

"Wow," she said flatly. "That's awfully dark."

Jericho grimaced. He didn't usually write gloomy poetry, but sometimes he needed a way to release his more negative feelings, and composing poems was one of the best ways for him to do it. He thought that Raven would not enjoy his usual work so he had selected that one but…

Raven looked back up at him. "Just the way I like it. You should show me some more of your stuff sometime."

He sighed in relief, always eager to please.

"And I'd like to see it too. If you want me to, that is," said Robin.

He finished preparing the bed. "Alright, that's everything. Shall we go back with the others?" The three friends reentered the living room and sat down on the sofa in front of the TV. The selected film of the evening was _Clash of the Planets: The Rise of Nqr'aglizar'xxx_.

"Brace yourselves everyone. We're about to view one of the greatest masterworks of cinema," said Raven. Jericho lightly shook with laughter and he covered his mouth.

"Heck yeah we are," said Beast Boy, nudging her. "Roll it!"

Cyborg pressed: "play" on one of their nine remotes and the movie started.

"Okay. It looks like they're watching a movie now, and that he's gonna stay with them tonight. So now I'll just wait until they all go to sleep. Catch em' off guard," Red X reported. He was now almost on the Tower island, having gotten there via stolen jet ski.

"Good. See that you do not fail."

"No worries, old man."

"Starla, oh, beautiful Starla, I love you! But our journey is far from over. But I swear…I swear upon every comet, every sun, every asteroid, that once our foe is defeated, we shall be united until the end of time."

A riotous brass fanfare was then heard as the screen went black and then the words "TO BE CONTINUED" flashed on it.

"All right, y'all. Let's save part three for another night," Cyborg remarked, flipping off the tv.

"Yes, please," said Raven. As she stood up, her book fell from her hands. When she knelt down to pick it up, she accidentally placed her hand on top of Jericho's, which was also on the dropped book. Her indigo eyes met his sea-green ones for only a moment and then they looked away, from each other.

"Hey, has anybody seen my butterfly net? Or my fishing rod?" Beast Boy asked.

"I have never seen you with either of those implements," Starfire stated. "Perhaps you are-"

" 'Cause I gotta catch some 'z's'!"

Everyone groaned. Jericho turned towards Raven and then made an "o" with his hand and held it up to his head after pointing at Beast Boy. "_Empty head_."

"Heh. Couldn't agree more, Jericho," she responded.

"Ha ha! Yeah, same here," Robin added.

"Wha-? Hey! C'mon guys, what did he say? I haven't learned sign language yet!"

"I don't think you wanna know, greenie," said Cyborg, steering him by the back of his head towards their bedrooms. "G'night, everybody."

"Good night!"

As soon as the Teen Titans had all retired to their quarters for about an hour, Red X went on the offensive. He had no trouble getting past the Tower's security and deactivating the various lasers and cameras that he came across with his xenothium-powered gear. Once he was sure that he could enter the tower unnoticed, he did so and then silently stalked his way down to Robin's room and opened the door. The rogue went over to the bedside table and took apart Robin's communicator. Then he noticed Jericho curled up in bed on the floor below him.

"Oh. Lucky me," he thought.

"He got down to the blonde boy's level and tied a piece of black cloth around his eyes. Then, he slowly and gently pulled his arms behind his back and started to bind his wrists together. At the feeling of this happening to him, Jericho's eyes snapped open and he gasped loudly, wishing he could scream for help.

"Hold still kid. Not finished here yet," he whispered.

With a herculean effort, Jericho wrenched himself out of Red X's grip and ran over to Robin's bedside table, crashing into it and then kicking it over, causing Robin to wake up. Robin's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed to see his friend getting slung over the shoulder of his rival and getting carried out of the room kicking and struggling. The Teen Wonder leapt out of bed and reached for his communicator, but noticed that it was broken.

"Titans!" he yelled, as he followed the Red X out. "Emergency! Wake up!"

No good, they couldn't seem to be able to hear him.

Robin sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. Red X took note that he was being followed and threw Jericho against a wall, binding him with an "X"-restraint.

"Hi there handsome. What'cha doin' up so late, Robbie? Isn't it a little past your bedtime, kiddo?" Red X mocked.

"What do you want with him, X?" Robin barked, taking out a birdarang. "I thought you all you wanted was to be number one. But now you're kidnapping people?"

"What exactly makes you think I'm ever gonna tell you any of my secrets, kid?" he spat in response. "I'll give you a little hint. This is one that you and your buddies definitely want to stay out of. It's not just me. It's the old man."

"_The old man_?" Jericho thought. "_That sounds so familiar._ _And that voice…no way! It can't be, can it_?"

"Not a chance," Robin hissed. He threw his birdarang, but Red X dodged it, then fired another X-restraint, which Robin managed to duck by a hair's width. Robin went on the offensive and tried to punch Red X three times, with only the third one actually hitting him. But Red X was not in the mood for play. He sent Robin sprawling with a powerful right hook and then fired an X-restraint at his middle, tying his arms to his chest. Red X wasted no time in removing Jericho from the wall, and throwing him back over his shoulder despite the twinge of pain in his arm from which he had shot out his weapons.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt him. And I'm still not the big villain. But not everything is black and white, right?"

Before Robin could do anything else, Red X and Jericho were out of the tower and had disappeared into the stormy night. Robin managed to wrench another birdarang from his belt and awkwardly saw through the binding xenothium. He started on his way back to the tools and weapons room, where he knew he had kept some tracking equipment that he could use to get Red X's trail and a spare communicator, but on his way past his door, he heard the ringtone of a cell phone. Robin opened the door and found that it was coming from one of the front pockets of the messenger bag monogrammed with "J.W" that Jericho had brought with him at the beginning of the night. When he took it out, he noticed the word "Mom" on the screen, indicating the identity of the caller.

"If anyone needs to know about what just happened, it's his mother," Robin thought. So he answered it.

"Joseph what are you doing? Where are you?"

"Uh, I'm Robin one of Jericho's friends. He just decided to spend the night here with us, since the storm looked bad."

"Oh. Okay. Phew. Well when he wakes up just tell him to please let me know or text me or something because I was worried sick and-"

"Ma'am. I'm afraid I can't do that. Your son has been abducted by a thief known as Red X. I did my best to stop it, but I couldn't."

"Oh my goodness! Is he all right? Did they hurt him? Are you all right?"

"From what I could see, no he wasn't hurt, and I'm fine. And I'm so sorry."

"I don't blame you, Robin. But I will need your help in rescuing my son."

"Of course. Mrs...Ms.?"

"Kane. Adeline Kane. But I insist that you call me Adeline."


	4. Episode Four: Family Reunion Act Two

Red X carried Jericho over to where he had hidden his X-Cycle. He placed Jericho on the seat and climbed on behind him after punching several coordinates into a keypad on the vehicle's dashboard.

"Alright, now you'll really either wanna hold still or get seriously hurt, kid. 'Cause we're goin' for a ride whether you like it or not."

The sound of the motorcycle, revving up and the feeling of it starting to move cause Jericho to stop thrashing and obey his captor.

"Atta boy." Red X gripped the handlebar on one side while keeping Jericho firmly pinned to his chest with his other arm.

Jericho started shaking violently all over again and drew in shuddering breaths.

"_Not again, not again, please not again. No no no no no…_" he thought, flashing back to his memories of his abduction from when he was just a little boy.

Red X noticed this put his steering hand on Jericho's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Look, I feel for ya. I really do, and you got every right to be mad at me. But I don't have a choice. When we get to where we're goin' you'll see what I mean. So try to calm down and get some sleep. Don't worry, no one's gonna hurt you. Not even you-know-who. I've got you, Joe."

"_Joe?_" The mute Teen Titan's eyes widened as far as they could beneath the blindfold in reaction to the revelation that this young man who was kidnapping him knew his name. "_But how could he-_" Okay. That clinched it. That, in addition to everything else was proof enough for him that he knew Red X's identity as well. Jericho nodded, settling down and allowing his head to droop a bit and his eyes to close. "_I trust you…Grant."_

Robin went into the kitchen to grab an energy drink from the fridge. He would need it if he was going to have to stay awake for that entire night or longer. He kept on drinking it as he walked downstairs to retrieve a spare communicator from one of the supply rooms. Robin then pressed a few buttons on it that would sound the SOS alarm on all of the Titans' communicators in the tower, waking them all up and causing them to hurry into the main room to join their leader. "What is the matter, Robin?" Starfire asked.

Beast Boy yawned loudly and said: "Uh…Where's Jericho?"

"That's the problem," said Robin. "Jericho's been kidnapped. By Red X."

Starfire gasped and the other Titans eyes widened in shock.

"I tried to save him, but he used Jericho as a shield so I couldn't do anything. I don't know why he did it, but he did. But we're going to get him back," said Robin, punching his palm. Robin held up one of his gloved hands, showing his teammates that it was stained in the familiar bloodlike element. "I've scanned the molecular signature of the xenothium that Red X used to restrain me so we can track him with that."

Cyborg stepped forward. "Here, Rob. Let me get it in my scanners, too. Two trackers are better than one." Robin nodded and led Cyborg to the remains of the X that Red X had used to pin him to the wall.

"Okay, Titans," Robin began. "Red X can't have gone far in this short amount of time. I'm getting on the R-Cycle."

"I'm going in the T-Car with Cy," said Beast Boy. "I can't really fly that well in this weather."

"But we can," said Raven, turning towards Starfire.

"All right. Titans, Go!"

Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy and Raven tracked Red X's trail to a run down highway that was in desperate need of repair and was closed off to the public. There were numerous potholes of every conceivable size, great, yawning cracks, and the occasional fallen tree that they would have to steer around. The T-Car and the R-Cycle were built for durability and could handle all of these things with ease. The thunder, lightning, and rain showed no sign of stopping or decreasing in ferocity. Robin tilted his head up towards the sky. "Starfire!" he shouted. "Can you fly a little ways ahead and tell us what you see?"

The green-eyed alien nodded and zoomed off like a sniper's bullet in front of her friends. It wasn't long before she found the headlight of Red X's motorcycle with Red X and Jericho riding on it. Starfire took out her communicator.

"I see them. Red X is has Jericho with him about ten klinthorgs- I mean, twenty meters ahead of you all," she reported.

Raven teleported next to where Starfire was and touched her arm to get her attention.

"Starfire, come on, I've got an idea to trap him and Jericho, but I'll need your help."

Suddenly, Red X saw an emerald beam of light flash on the road, tearing it up. Before he knew what was happening, the front end of the cycle went down, the wheel wobbled left and right, and the entire thing flipped over. The thief grabbed hold of the Titan and they rolled to the side as the motorcycle skidded away from them. Next, two gigantic redwood trees, surrounded by black auras, were smashed down in their path one after the other.

While all this was going on, Robin and Cyborg activated their respective vehicles' turbo modes and had caught up with the girls in less than a minute. The Teen Titans surrounded Red X and Jericho in a circle. Cyborg and Beast Boy exited the T-Car. Cyborg got his sonic cannon ready to fire and aimed it at their enemy. Beast Boy changed into a leopard and crouched low, baring his teeth and claws, hissing and prepared to pounce. Robin dismounted the R-Cycle and pulled four electric disks from his utility belt. Starfire and Raven stayed focused on Red X from the air, their hands glowing green and black.

"I really can't rely on you for anything, now can I?" came the voice in Red X's earpiece once more. "No matter. I knew you probably wouldn't be able to handle this on your own. Backup will be on its way shortly. Try not to lose the boy before then."

Red X wasn't intimidated, though. He hauled Jericho to his feet and held a razor-sharp shuriken up to his throat.

Jericho ground his teeth in frustration. "_Why are you doing this, Grant?_"

"I thought you said you weren't gonna hurt him, X!" Robin barked.

"_Did the other Titans come all this way after me?_" Jericho wondered. "_Wow…"  
><em>

"I'm a ruthless, lowlife, thief kid. What did you expect?"

Jericho was trembling like a brittle leaf in a gust of autumn wind. He was sweating profusely and clearly having difficulty breathing.

"X, stop it!" Robin yelled. "Don't you see what you're doing to him? STOP IT!"

"He won't go any farther, Robin," Raven snarled. "He wouldn't."

"Oh, you think I'm just bluffing? Well think again." With that, he pulled down Jericho's shirt collar, exposing the large, ragged, stretched scar across his throat, dug down into the pale flesh and reopened the wound almost all the way. "See? Maybe you goody-goodies are chicken, but I'm not. One more twitch from you, one more teeny little slice from me and blondie's a goner. So stand down."

Jericho gasped, coughed, and hacked, tears of anger and horror beginning to trickle from his eyes while warm blood soaked his shirt and chest. Out of his mouth came incoherent, garbled, gasping noises, as if he was desperately trying to speak. Raven and Starfire floated down, Beast Boy reverted to human form, Robin put away his weapons, and Cyborg transformed his sonic cannon back into a hand. They were at stalemate.

Out of nowhere came a thick jet stream of black mud that hit Raven square in the torso and buried her deep. Then, the four-eyed elemental monster that evaded them all that time ago reappeared on the highway to fight the Titans once more. But this time, a tell-tale orange and black "S" badge was placed on the center of his chest, a more advanced version of the ones that had once been seen on Cinderblock, Plasmus, and Overload.

"Robin, it's me, Adeline. What's going on?" Robin had given Adeline the number to dial that would contact his communicator and had told her where they had been chasing the thief.

"I know who's behind this now," he said, noticing that the malicious creature was paying no attention to Red X or Jericho.

"Who? Tell me now! Tell me!" she cried.

"It's Slade."

"…All right. Then I'll meet you there. Robin, listen to me. I need you to follow all my directions."

"What? You know Slade too? How-"

"I can't tell you that, Robin. But you've got to trust me. You've got to. Joseph's-Jericho's life is in danger. Please, for his sake, just do as I say."

Robin was standing back while the other Titans sprung into action and went on the offensive.

"Raven, hang on!" Beast Boy immediately shifted into a badger and went to dig Raven out from under the dirt as fast as he could. When he finally dug her out of it enough he turned back into a human and pulled her up.

Raven came out of the mud pile coughing violently for the mud had almost suffocated her and she was dizzy and disoriented. Beast Boy gently rubbed her back and supported her until she could stand up straight again.

"Thanks, Beast Boy," she wheezed.

"Robin, go!" yelled Cyborg, charging his cannon while Starfire hit their adversary with a barrage of starbolts.

Red X blasted another X-shaped hole in the wood between him and the rest of the road. When he did this, he felt as though his arm had gotten a charley horse.

"Not again!" he thought. "Why does this keep happening? Stupid Xenothium. I've gotta get rid of this suit before it gets rid of me."

"I can't leave you guys with that thing!"

"Cyborg's right, Robin! Go after him!" Beast Boy affirmed. "We'll be fine."

"We shall provide a distraction! Now, hurry!" shouted Starfire.

Robin nodded and lowered the shield on his helmet. He got back on his R-Cycle and drove after him at the highest speed it was capable of.

"Robin, get off the road. You can't let him see he's following you,"

Robin threw two birdarangs ahead of him into the trees, slicing several of them down. Eventually, he decided that it would be more efficient to follow the trail on foot, so he parked the R-Cycle and leaped through the trees, staying hidden.

"Are you on the ground, Robin?" Adeline inquired.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Jump down, then head along the same direction you're going in for about a quarter of a mile, then go northwest for another mile. And I'll tell you what to do from there."

Before Robin could ask her anything else, she hung up.

Robin rubbed his forehead and ran a hand through his hair.

"What am I thinking? If she really is connected to Slade, she's probably just leading me into some kind of trap. But this is the only way I can track Red X without risking Jericho getting even more hurt than he already is. Just have to keep my guard up and watch out for any ambushes."

So he put his head down and went on his way.

Slade heard the door open after Red X unlocked it and came inside, soaking wet.

"Sir you're-oh my goodness! What on earth have you done? Is Joseph all right?"

"Don't worry, he looks a lot worse than he actually is."

William Wintergreen, Slade's best friend and butler rushed over to the young man and the boy, who had fainted from the stress of it all and was lying limp in his brother's arms, blood still dripping from his cut throat. He then beckoned infirmary that was in one of the side rooms of Slade's hideaway. Red X followed him in and laid the blond boy down on the table. The old man placed lifted up Jericho's wrist to check his pulse. He nodded, affirming that it was normal. Wintergreen walked over to a cabinet and took out the supplies he would need to repair Jericho's wound. He cut the collar off of Jericho's shirt and then disinfected the entire area with rubbing alcohol before he numbed it with a special cream.

The mute Titan's sea green eyes did not begin to flutter open until he felt a tiny needle begin to move in and out of his skin, stitching the cut closed. He had no idea where he was, so he panicked and grasped hold of the arm that held the needle.

A cool gloved hand pressed against his forehead while another gently released Wintergreen.

"Shhh. Don't move until he's finished. You're safe now."

"_DAD?_"

Wintergreen finished closing the gash and bandaging it with lightning haste.

"There we are sir, it wasn't nearly as bad an injury as it looked. The young master should be quite all right."

"Good work, my old friend."

Jericho slowly sat up. Then he stared at the masked man beside him and raised his open hand up, his thumb touching his forehead. "_Father_?"

Slade removed his mask. "Yes, Joseph. It's me."

He knew that he should have been furious, he had ordered him to be abducted after all, but at that moment, he didn't really care. Joey Wilson leaned forward and caught Slade in a hug, too overwhelmed to do anything else.

Slade seemed shocked at he gesture, but he wrapped his arms around his son and held him until he let go.

"All you all right?"

Joey signed: "_Yes_" with his hand.

"Good. Then I suppose you're wondering why you're here."

Jericho signed: "yes" again.

"It has come to my attention that you have joined the Teen Titans. And you know that they are longtime enemies of mine, don't you?"

Jericho looked away, eyes downcast.

"Answer me…son." And he did.

"What were you thinking, Joseph? You can neither change nor hide the fact that I am your father. And once the Titans discover the truth about you, they will never trust you again. And what will you do then?"

Joey looked up, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide.

"And that is why I brought you here. I won't fight against you, Joseph. And you don't really want to fight me, do you?"

"_I…I…_"

"Heh. I don't think he would have joined the Titans if he didn't want to, Pops," said Red X. "Now where's that reward you promised me? I did my job and I wanna get paid."

Slade stared at his eldest son and went over to him without saying a word. Before Grant knew what was happening, Slade backhanded him across the face and threw off his balance.

"You did not do your job, Grant. I ordered you to bring Joseph to me _unharmed_."

"I had to show those kids that I wasn't afraid to rough him up a bit if I was going to get them to back off if and get him here at all. And you _really_ don't have a right to criticize me for that after you-"

The young thief didn't have a chance to finish before Slade floored him a left hook. He was then yanked up and pinned to the wall by his father.

"Shut. Your. Mouth."

"Why is Robin never around when we need him?" Beast Boy groaned, after reverting from the form of a rabbit to dodge several attacks from Slade's minion.

"No time for whining! We've just got to stop this thing on our own so we can get to him and Jericho in time," Raven barked, creating a forcefield while the other Titans ran into the trees to take cover until they could make a strategy.

"We cannot defeat this creature if it continues to reform. Perhaps if we can somehow stop it from changing-" Starfire began.

"We can beat it!" stated Cyborg.

"But we've gotta trap it somehow first," Beast Boy added.

"Good thinking, BB. Alright, y'all. Here's what we'll do," said Cyborg, bringing his teammates in for a huddle.

The creature stepped back on the road, assuming a concrete form. Then it began to stomp to its enemies, ripping the smaller trees that stood between them out of its way.

"Titans, go!"

The plan was put into action. A blaring trumpeting sound was heard as a green wooly mammoth charged into the concrete monster and drove all the way back on to the center of the decrepit highway. Raven was waiting for it. The mistress of magic trapped it an orb on the concrete, eliminating its exposure to any other element, and disabling it from moving. Starfire and Cyborg then ran around either side of the monster.

"On the count of three, Rae!" ordered Cyborg, charging his cannon in one arm and his finger laser in the other. "One!"

"Two!" said Starfire, focusing all the confidence and fury she could muster into the blazing green energy that was gathering in her hands.

"Three!" cried Beast Boy the instant he noticed that they were both ready to strike and couldn't hold back their power for another second.

Raven released the forcefield and a brilliant starbolt beam was shot at the back of the creature, aiming to pierce straight through it's core and Slade's controlling device while Cyborg fired his laser and several billion decibels of pure white sound at it's puny head. An awesome explosion sent the young superheroes flying and they landed several yards away from where they stood. Once they regained their vision and managed to stand up again, they reveled briefly in triumph. For they had won, and the four-eyed white monster lay motionless on the ground, defeated at last.

"C'mon, everyone, get in the car," said Cyborg. "Robin and Jericho need our help!"

"I've followed all your directions," Robin told Adeline. "Now what?"

"Look for a chain on the ground in between three trees. When you do, pull up on it and pull as hard as you can. You should then see a trap door open some ways off. Jump down it and the passageway you find will lead you too Slade's new base of operations."

"How did you find this place? And how do I know you're not just setting me up to be captured or worse?"

A strong hand gripped the Teen Wonder's shoulder from behind him.

"I'm a woman of my word, Robin. I don't lie."

He whirled around to see look at Adeline Kane for the first time. She was only an inch or two taller than him and was dressed in a long hooded trench coat. Her face showed some slight signs of aging, but it was still quite attractive. Adeline had shoulder length chestnut brown hair and Robin saw where Joey had gotten his eyes from.

"All right. Then let's go."

The two figures leapt down into the man made hole. Adeline removed a gun from the holster she kept strapped to her hip and shot bullets in every camera that lined the dirt hallway.

"Wait."

She put her gun back inside her coat and turned to Robin.

"Something wrong?"

"Before we go on, I have to know: What is your connection to Slade?"

Her face was expressionless as she replied: "He and I served in the military together many years ago. He served under me when I was a captain. We became…very close. But then not long after I retired I saw what he really was and I haven't spoken to him since. But he won't get away with hurting my son."

Robin nodded, this answer satisfying him almost completely. He could not detect a hint of dishonesty or uneasiness in her visage or voice. "I see. Well, there's no time to lose." They took off running towards their destination. When they reached a bolted door at the end of the dimly lit road, Robin placed blasted it open with an electric disk planted on it and they dashed inside.

"Sir, there are intruders," Wintergreen announced. "Shall I-"

"No. Let them come. Whatever happens, I want you to stay out of it, understand? Good. Now, Red X, if you really want to prove yourself to me, go and take them down on your own. And I'll double your reward."

Red X let out an aggravated sigh and pulled his gloves tighter.

"What did you promise him?" Jericho signed to Slade.

"Freedom," he responded.

Jericho cocked his head to one side and raised up the palms of both his hands, making the sign for "What?"

"Your elder brother's suit is powered by Xenothium. A highly unstable, unpredictable, and unstable element and all that is currently enabling him to be Red X. He knows he can't continue to use it for too much longer before it begins to become unable to use. So I promised that I would give him new weapons, a new suit, and new technology if only he would perform some favors for me. Which he is. If he successfully completes this last assignment, I'll even offer him a position as my apprentice."

"You just don't quit, do you kid?" Red X jumped down from the ceiling of the room where Robin and Adeline were.

"No wonder Slade wanted you as his apprentice. You're practically a mini-him, you know that?"

Robin growled, getting into a fighting stance with his staff extended. But when he looked up at Adeline, she had completely frozen with shock.

"No…_Grant?_ Is that you? You helped Slade do this?"

Red X looked stunned for a moment. "Lady, you've got the wrong guy. I don't who you-"

"Grant, don't lie to me anymore. You can your face under that mask, but you can't hide the sound of your own voice from your mother. I know it's you."

Red X shrugged. "Well, guess the jig's up, huh? Ah, it was fun while it lasted."

He pulled off the skull mask and revealed a face belonging to a young man in either his late teens or early twenties with steel grey eyes and ice blond hair in a crew cut.

"Grant, you had a hand in all this? How…HOW COULD YOU? You had so much promise at the military academy, and you threw it all away for this? Becoming a lowlife thief and a _kidnapper_? How could you do this to me? And to your _brother_?"

"No way. _You're_ Jericho's brother?" Robin asked, bewildered.

"Oh Grant," Adeline hung her head in shame and sorrow, covering her face with one hand. She was so tired of this. So tired of all the things and people she loved ruining each other. First the military ruined her husband, then he scarred Joseph for life, and now her son had just shown that the well-being of other people did not matter as much as getting what he wanted.

"Ma, c'mon. Don't cry-" Grant started over to her. "Ungh!" the radio in his ear crackled loudly.

"You have your orders!" Slade hissed. "Get Adeline out of your way without hurting her, subdue Robin and bring them both to me."

Grant shot out another one of his X wall restraints and pinned Adeline helplessly to the wall. Grant winced as electricity sparked on the arm that he had shot it out of. He winced, gripping it. Robin hesitated, unwilling to kick him while he was down. But he yelled and threw a flurry of shurikens at Robin, which he deflected by spinning his staff in a circle in front of him. Grant jumped and landed a roundhouse kick to Robin's face, following it up with a center hook to Robin's abdomen. Robin crouched, ducking out the way of more blows. Red X bent, preparing to punch Robin's head again, but that was Robin rose up out of his feint, landing a hard uppercut with his right fist, and after it, a firm strike to his left ribs with his staff. Red X brought out his wristblades again, gritting his teeth against the new cramps in his arms, catching Robin and himself in a deadlock.

"Why are you working with Slade, X?" Robin asked, throwing all of his weight behind his staff. "You never wanted to play the big villain."

"You got that right," Grant replied. "But he's the only one who can help me."

"Help you with what?"

"You already know my identity kid, do you really think I'd tell you that?"

"Grant, then tell me. Let me help you, not him."

"Ma, you can't, trust me on this one. I don't like working with him either, but I have. No. Choice," he asserted, dodging several hits from Robin. Grant managed to knock Robin's weapon away, but Robin then scissor kicked his maskless face with his steel-toed boot, breaking his nose and sending him sprawling.

"He's barely used any of his tricks," Robin thought. "Something's wrong."

Robin picked up his staff again and then held it in front of his adversary's broken nose from where he lay on the ground. "I don't want to fight you like this."

Grant glared up at Robin and when he placed his hand on Robin's staff, and electrocuted it, both he and the Teen Wonder were badly shocked with several hundred volts of electricity and cried out in agony. Robin wobbled on his feet, but Grant slumped to floor unconscious.

"The suit-it's malfunctioning!"

"Robin, please, help him! Get it off of him!"

Robin went over and tried to pull the black suit off of him.  
>"Adeline," he quavered. "The suit's not coming off! I can't get it off!"<p>

"Oh, no!"

After Slade had given Red X his orders, he had risen from where he sat in front of the security monitors to witness the unfolding conflict in person and make sure that he would not forget their deal, but before he could get there he felt Joey's hand on his shoulder. Father and son's eyes met and- _Contact!_ Jericho's body became immaterial and he shifted into his father, possessing him. Inhabiting Slade's mind, Jericho accessed the combination that he had used to lock the door from the inside and prevent his escape.

"Joseph how did you-what are you-? No! Listen to me! Stop!" he cried as his body moved against his will, unlocked the door, put his mask back on and hurried down to Adeline, Grant, and Robin.

He burst through the door to find Robin in the process of trying to free Adeline from the Xenothium restraint. At the sight of the man, Adeline was seething with fury and practically shaking with anger, tears stinging her eyes.

"What is wrong with you? Haven't you hurt Joseph enough? Why can't you just leave us alone you sick monster?"

"Addie-"

"Shut up! I never want to see you again! And once we get Joseph back, you'll never see him again either!"

The retired captain caught sight of Slade's eye, which was now green and black.

"Joseph, sweetheart, are you in there? Are you all right?"

Four of Slade's right fingers closed and his little finger remained extended and wrote a "J" in the air. Then he pointed to himself and signed "O" and "K".

Adeline sighed. "Thank goodness. For his sake, and yours."

"Slade, why did you kidnap Jericho?" Robin barked. "What do you want with him?"

"It's perfectly simple, Robin. I don't want the Titans to take from me what's mine."

Robin felt his legs and arms become stone. "What?" No…Jericho couldn't be working with Slade. Otherwise he wouldn't have put up a fight when Red X came for him last night. Also, Robin had run thorough background checks on all of the teenage heroes he had recruited for the Titans. If Jericho had something even the slightest bit shady in his history, he would have known. Then what was it?

"_NO!_" Jericho screamed within the confines of his mind. "_He can't find out now! Not like this!"_

_"_I'll let you figure this one out on your own_," _Slade purred. He realized that Jericho's fear at being found out had weakened his control greatly, and he used that momentary lapse of strength to reach up and remove his mask himself, casting it away.

But it was too late. Robin looked first at Adeline, followed by Grant, who was slowly starting to come to, then at Slade and finally the image of Jericho's face flickered through his mind. The resemblances and shared features between all four faces were unmistakable. The Titans worst enemy was the father of one of their members.

"Oh…my…" Robin stammered. He was so overcome with surprise, he lost hold of his staff and his jaw nearly hit the ground.

In his anguish at seeing his friend react like this, Joey lost control of his father's body and appeared beside him.

"I've got to know, Robin. Now that you know that the one you call Jericho is my son, do you still want him back? Can you still trust him?" Slade placed an arm around tightly around Joey's shoulders, drawing him closer.

The Teen Wonder stared at Joey, who had started to cry. He looked back at Robin.

"_I'm sorry_, _Robin_," he signed. "_I'm so sorry_."

Robin's expression changed from shock to sternness. "You have nothing to be sorry about," he asserted. "Nothing."

Taking all of this in prevented the Teen Wonder from noticing Red X sneak up on him and deliver a chop to the back of Robin's skull, knocking him out.

"Nicely done, son," said Slade. "Now if you'll permit me, Addie-" he continued, walking over to where his ex-wife was pinned to the wall and taking away her gun.

"Slade what are you-No! Don't do it! He's just a kid!"

"You'd be surprised at what "kids" have done to me over these past couple of years," Slade told her, cocking the gun and keeping it aimed the young hero in front of him.

"Dad, don't! Please don't shoot him!"

Jericho was gone but Robin was standing up, seemingly conscious.

"Joseph, is that you?" Adeline asked.

"Yeah Mom, he's unconscious, so I can speak with his voice for now. Dad, don't shoot him. I'm inside him now, so whatever you do to him, you'll do to me, too."

Slade seized Jericho/Robin's arms and twisted them behind him.

"No son of mine is joining the Titans, am I understood?"

"Dad, let go! That hurts!"

"AM I UNDERSTOOD?" Slade roared, not loosening his grip.

At that moment, Robin regained consciousness.

"Engh! What the-Jericho! Please get out of me! Hurry!"

Jericho reappeared next to Robin and Robin managed to thrust himself forward and backwards kick Slade square in the solar plexus, causing him to release his hold on Robin's arms. Robin managed to dodge Slade's first punch by spinning around and doing a backwards somersault to gain distance, but Slade managed to punch Robin in the chest with his other hand and then slam his elbow into Robin's face, leaving him dazed for several moments.

"My head…I won't last much longer," Robin thought, "But I've just got to hold on until the rest of the Titans get here."

"Give it up, Robin," Slade said mockingly between jabs. "Haven't I defeated you enough times all ready?"

Before they could continue their battle, Red X teleported in between them, mask back on.

"Yeah, Dad, you have. But I haven't. So why don't you let me fight him, instead? I can take him. And I need one last chance to prove myself." He said, tightening his gloves.

"I already told you, X, I don't want to fight you. Not when you're like this."

"Sometimes we just don't always get what we want. Isn't that right, Mom? Like how I wanted to stay with Dad when you left him, or at least be able to _see_ him every now and then, but that didn't matter to you one bit, now did it?"

Adeline's eyes clouded. "Oh, Grant…" was all she could say.

"But tonight, that person's not gonna be me. You and me are settling this little rivalry of ours once and for all, kiddo. And all the trouble I went to in order to fix this little problem of mine won't have been for nothing."

Jericho tried to run in between them, but his father caught him in a nelson hold: using his elbows to render his arms motionless and blocking his vision with his hands.

"Very well, Grant. If you are up to the challenge, so be it. I know that the Titans have never defeated you as Red X. Go on then. And best of luck."

"Let's dance," said Red X, bending his knees and raising his fists.

Robin also got in position for another duel, but the only time he had been more reluctant to fight was when Slade had forced him to steal, injure his friends and betray them in exchange for their lives. "Try not to hurt him too much," he told himself. "Slade's occupied, and it's just you and him. Just defend yourself until the Titans come and we can all get out of here safely."

Grant and Joseph's mother could only gape at all this in horror. She knew that it was all beyond her control and that once Grant had put his mind to something, there was no way to talk him out of it. She closed her eyes and looked away, unwilling to watch.

Red X ran head on at Robin, trying to land a few hits on his torso but he managed to block every hit and then cartwheel to the side of him before he roundhouse kicked the floor, whipping Red X's feet out from under him. Grant growled and seized Robin's cape, cutting off his breath momentarily as he yanked down so sharply that Robin was brought down to his level. Red X rolled on top of Robin and punched him in the cheekbone with a right hook. Robin placed his hands on his attacker's shoulders and rolled the two of them over, switching positions. He hit Red X with a left hook, hard enough to do hurt, but not enough to do anything more than bruise him. Grant seized a fistful of Robin's hair and pulled down again, punching him in the side of his neck as he did so. Red X once again gained the upper hand, starting to strangle Robin, who was still coughing from the severe blow to his main arteries.

"Gotcha."

"That's the way to do it, son. " Slade encouraged. "Just like I taught you, now. Finish him."

"Come on, kid, come on," Red X thought. "Just go back to sleep. Then once we can tie you up and the old man gets me out of this suit, I'll get you all out of here. But if I keep going with this stuff for too much longer, I'm a goner. He's got ties to a good chunk of the scientists who work with Xenothium, they're the only ones who can help me. Mom definitely doesn't."

But Robin was not through yet. It took nearly all of his willpower and muscle to swing his legs up from under the thief and hook them around his middle, creating a scissor hold. Red X's hands were torn from Robin's throat as he brought down to the ground at the mercy of his rival. Once again, they were deadlocked, and Red X was growing angrier by the minute. His gaze fell to his belt.

"One chance in a million," Grant thought. "I've gotta take it. I have no choice. Either risk this now or wait until it

"No!" Robin wailed, guessing what he was about to do. "Grant! Don't do that!"

Robin's cries had no effect. Red X pressed the button on the center of his belt in an attempt to teleport out of Robin's scissor hold, but the already unstable xenothium would no longer obey his commands. Instead of teleporting him, a mass of the dark red element began to bloom out of the X on his chest, cutting into him, electrocuting him, and paralyzing him. Robin took his hands and legs off of him as he writhed on the ground, convulsing and shrieking in agony.

"HELP!" he shrieked. "IT'S DESTROYING ME! HEEELLLP!"

Robin tore of the skull mask once more and Slade let Joey go and shoved Robin away, using his superior strength to rip off what he could of the suit and the belt. Large, inflamed, bleeding, patches and streaks of xenothium had fused into Grant's torso, skull, and legs, binding him to the suit. And still they spread and went deeper. Slade worked furiously, ripping and tearing with all his might in a desperate effort to save his eldest child. Grant's convulsions and screeches of pain ended, but his breathing was not normal.

"Looks like I…let you down again, Pops," he mused.

"Stay quiet. You'll be all right," Slade commanded.

"E…everything's so blurry already. I can't even see you anymore. I'm not…I'm…not…"

"I said quiet! Save your strength and I'll-!"

Grant's head snapped back, his eyes shut. Slade lowered him down flat on the floor and, after checking his pulse, began to administer CPR, thrusting his hands on the young man's chest. Four utterly silent minutes passed, all eyes focused on the apparently lifeless form of Grant Wilson. Wintergreen eventually came running through the door, carrying a paramedic's bag with him. Slade checked his pulse again and then gave Wintergreen room to run his own tests.

"S-Slade," said Adeline. "Is-is he-?"

"No," said Slade his clenched fists beginning to tremble with rage.

Wintergreen bowed his head in a lament. "He's going into a coma. A very, very, deep one at that."

Slade stood up lifted Robin up by his battered neck.

"You did this to him!" he roared. "The technology and suit that you built DESTROYED! MY! SON!"

Robin was now completely drained and could only kick and struggle weakly in Slade's grip.

Adeline finally got herself loose and threw herself at her ex-husband with enough force to get him to drop Robin and took back her revolver from his belt. Jericho made contact with his father once again and possessed him, keeping Wintergreen back and away from Robin and Adeline.

"Robin, are you down here?" Starfire called. She flew down with Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven behind her and saw how he could barely stand. She wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders.

"Raven, get us out of her now!" he cried.

"But-"

"Just listen to me! Now! Adeline get over here! Jericho, look at me! Come on! We can't leave without you!"

Adeline ran over inside the circle of black magic that Raven had created on the floor, preparing to transport everyone out of the secret base. Jericho had no idea what to do. He did not want to leave his father and brother in this state, but could he really stay with them and abandon his mother and friends?

"Joseph! Come! Now! Please!" Adeline implored, her face drenched with tears. So he did. Jericho made contact with her first and then appeared beside his mother within the black ring.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted, her ebony soul-self encasing them all and flying up, out, and away to where the T-Car was parked.

Upon arrival, Adeline embraced Joey and kissed the top of his curly-haired head. They were both in tears. When she pulled back, Jericho held up one hand.

"_I love you Mom,_" he signed. "_I'll stay with you. And with them_. _I won't leave. I promise._"

"You're both welcome to stay at the Tower for now," said Robin. "Now let's leave. We can't stay here any longer."

"Dude, Slade's a sitting duck right now!" said Beast Boy. "We could have nailed him back there! C'mon let's go get him while we still-"

A deafening explosion was heard and the base that they had just infiltrated was no more. A black helicopter rose into the sky.

"Let us go after him-" Starfire began.

"No, Starfire!" Adeline begged. "He's not a threat, now. I think they're going to try and get help for our son. Just let them go."

"Your son?" Cyborg asked. "But if Jericho's your son, too then-does that mean-"

"_Yes,_" Jericho nodded.

Again, there was silence. But one by one, the six Titans and ex-captain all filed into the blue and white car and drove back to Titans tower. Not another word was spoken the entire trip.

* * *

><p>So that's that. No we haven't seen the last of Slade or the rest of the Wilson family. They'll be back soon. I tried very hard to avoid inconsistencies and plot holes, but if I missed anything, please tell me! And as always, if there's anything else that you really like or dislike, please review! It really helps me improve as a writer and maybe it'll help you enjoy the story a bit more.<p>

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or The New Teen Titans. They belong to Cartoon Network and DC Comics, respectively.


	5. Episode Five: Dark Carnival Act I

"Three balls, two strikes, bases loaded! Can he do it, ladies and gentlemen?" Cyborg announced, crouching behind home plate with his catcher's mitt.

The little boy gripped his bat, bent his knees more, and licked his lips, deep in concentration. Suddenly his eyes widened and he called for a time out.

Sarah Simms ran over to him and knelt down to his level.

"What's wrong Toby?"

"My team's gonna lose no matter what right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't run yet, I'm still not used to my prosthetic leg. If I hit the ball I'll get tagged out anyway. So what if I strike out?"

"You can still run! I'll just hold your hand while you do it."

"But that's…"

"That's what?"

Toby looked down, not knowing quite what to say. "I don't know."

Cyborg took off his mask and went over to them.

"Look, kid. Everybody needs help every now and then. It doesn't make you weak or anything like that. And you're doin' a lot better than me. For about a month after my accident and after I learned how to use all of my new parts, I was too scared to even try to go outside and live my life because I was so scared that people would think of me as a monster or a freak and that I would never be able to be happy again. But look at you, man. From what I heard from Sarah, you got back on your feet a lot faster than I did. You're a lot tougher and braver than I ever was."

"Naaah…" said Toby, turning red.

"And that doesn't mean that you're any less brave for needing help or asking for it. Not a lot of people realize this, but sometimes admitting that you need help and asking for it is the bravest thing somebody can do," Sarah added.

"She's a 100% right, kiddo. So why don't you pick up your bat and give a good try?"

Toby beamed and nodded, raising up his bat again.

"You can do it, Toby," said the pitcher, winding up, gripping the white ball with his prosthetic hand.

"Come on, Toby!"

"We did it and so can you!"

"You've got this!"

"You can do it!" Came the chorus of other children with artificial limbs and physical disabilities in Sarah and Cyborg's group. It didn't matter if they were on his team or not, everybody wanted the newest member of their club to get through the rough days that they did.

When Toby's bat came in contact with the ball, he hit way out in the gap between second and third base. He and Sarah grasped hands and started to jog all around the bases, providing him the extra support that he needed to walk on his leg, which he was not quite used to yet.

"Aaaaaand that's game!" Cyborg cried, standing. "Great job y'all, Red team, you win this week, but watch out, next week the Blue team is coming back with a vengeance, right guys?"

"Right!"

All the kids and their two counselors placed their hands in the center of a circle, saying good game to each other and then:

"1, 2, 3! Be positive!" that was their cheer that they said at the beginning and end of every game.

"Have a great weekend everyone!" said Sarah. "See you later, Sunrise Club!"

Cyborg and Sarah walked the kids over to the parking lot, where their parents were waiting for them and helped them get into their cars. Sarah Simms pulled her jacket more tightly around her body after she said goodbye to the last of her kids. As she did this, one of the buttons popped off.

"Hm…" she thought. "Time to either buy another jacket or slim down a bit. No wonder, with school and the kids keeping me busy all I've had time to eat is junk food.

"Mom, look, it's Miz Sarah!"

She turned around to see Toby with his mother.

"Miz Sarah, this is my Mom. Mom, this is Miz Sarah," the little boy said.

"Toby, can you go and wait in the car, I'd like to have a grown-up talk with her."

"Uh…okay."

"Ms. Simms, it's wonderful to meet you. My son just adores you. I still remember the day after he woke up and realized that the doctors had amputated his leg when they had no choice. He cried so hard his face turned purple. Toby was so sure that he would never have fun again and that people would always look at him like he was a freak. But then you came and visited him after he got his new leg and you showed him that his life wasn't over when you took him around with all these other kids. There's nothing I can do to ever properly thank you, but I just have to tell you that even though the doctors were the ones who operated on him after the accident, you, Cyborg and the Sunrise club were the ones who truly saved him. Thank you."

Toby's mother shook Sarah's hand and got into the driver's seat of her car. Mother and son both waved goodbye as they drove away.

"Awwww. She really said that?" Cyborg asked as he walked Sarah back to her apartment building.

"Yes she did. It's those little moments like that that make life worth living, huh? I don't know if you realize what a great inspiration you are to all our kids, Cyborg. When something like that happens to you, it's easy to think that life is over, but you're always there to prove em' wrong."

"Whoa, wait a minute, _our_ kids? Are we married parents now?"

Sarah blushed. "No, but c-c'mon, you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I'm just kiddin'. What are you up to tonight?"

"Sleeping. I've gotta do some catching up on that now that I've finally caught up on homework."

"All right. Goodnight, Sarah. See ya tomorrow right?"

"I hope so. Goodnight."

Cyborg got into the T-Car and drove back to the tower while Sarah climbed up to her floor and unlocked the door to her apartment, stepping inside.

"I guess I don't have much of a glamorous life," she said to herself. "Everyone else at school is probably getting ready to go out since it's Friday and here I am going to bed already. But I do need to party and go clubbing when working with those kids is giving me more than enough happiness and fulfillment to last a lifetime."

She ran a hand through her hair.

"Oh, man. I sound like Ms. Mary Sunshine, don't I? Well, maybe I am."

Sarah entered her apartment and took off her jacket, hooking it on the rack.

She took out a saucepan and a box of rice, getting ready to cook.

"Good evening Miss Simms."

Sarah turned her head.

"Huh? W-wait. Who's there?"

The light in her living room was flicked on, revealing a man in an orange and black mask, who had crouched behind her counter. She was so shocked to see Jump City's most infamous criminal that when she first tried to scream, no sound emerged from her throat. Slade placed his hands on the counter and flipped over it to her. She lifted up her saucepan in an effort to defend herself, but he was too fast and effortlessly covered her mouth with one hand and twisted her two arms behind her back.

"There. See how easy that was? And if I was able to do something like this to you with so little work on my part, you know what I would be able to do to those children that you care so deeply for. If you don't comply."

Sarah turned pale, frozen to the floor.

"I'm glad we seem to have an understanding. Now, come with me."

"Joseph, I really think that you should come home with me," Adeline said.

Jericho shook his head. "No," he signed. "I'm staying."

His mother let out an exasperated sigh. "Joseph, I don't know if you saw the way that some of them looked at you, but I did. They don't trust you anymore now that they know who your father is. It would be for the best if you stay away from them for a while."

Jericho shook his head again more forcefully and signed "_no_" at the same time. Adeline knew that when he did this, it meant "big no" and that there was no changing his mind.

"_I will stay_," he signed again. "_Thank you_."

Adeline rubbed her forehead. "I hope you know what you are getting yourself into. Stay safe, honey. Bye now."

With that she left, and Jericho wandered down the hall, in search of his teammates. When he heard their elevated voices outside of a doorway, he sat down outside of it, hidden from sight and listening carefully.

Robin, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were all gathered in the main ops room of the Tower.

Beast Boy slammed his palm on the table. "I say we throw Jericho off the team! Take away his communicator, reset all the security codes, erase his name from the roster, everything!" he yelled.

"BB, we can't do that," Cyborg replied.

"We don't have any evidence that he's our enemy," Robin added.

"Guys, he's Slade's son!" Beast Boy cried. "What more evidence could we possibly need to think that he's gonna betray us? I don't want him anywhere us ever again."

"And that's exactly it, Beast Boy," said Robin. "If Jericho only joined this team just so that he could turn on us, he would have done it by now. Without him, we wouldn't have been able to defeat the Brotherhood of Evil, remember? We almost lost that battle and if he had turned on us then we probably wouldn't have ended up winning."

"That's just how messed up Slade is," said Beast Boy. "He wouldn't have wanted the Brotherhood of Evil to defeat us instead of him, so he planted his son into the group just to help us stay alive until he could get rid of us himself."

"No, Beast Boy!" Robin cried, rising to his feet. "He could have betrayed us when Slade got Red X to abduct him and bring him to his fortress, but there he stood directly against his father, acted against his wishes and saved my life. There is no way that he wants to betray us. Jericho is not getting kicked off the team, and that's final!"

Beast Boy clenched his fists as hard as he could and shook with anger. "Well you know what, Robin? I don't think we should trust your judgment anymore!"

"Man, what are you talking about?" Cyborg asked.

"Am I the only one who remembers all the mistakes he's made? And it was his horrible judgment that caused the Brotherhood of Evil to almost destroy us in the first place! So maybe we should stop listening to you so much. And maybe you shouldn't even be the leader anymore!"

Robin's mouth fell open.

"Beast Boy…" he said, completely shocked that he had just heard that.

"How dare you!" Starfire cried, eyes flashing. She slammed her fists hard on the table, causing the table to split in half and fall over. "How could you even suggest such a thing?!"

"Starfire, calm down," said Cyborg, pushing her gently but firmly back into her seat. "Look, Beast Boy, we've all made mistakes, but that is going _way_ too far," he continued.

"Cyborg's right, Beast Boy," Raven stated. "Don't act as if you haven't made your fair share of errors. And that has nothing to do with this conversation."

Beast Boy looked at all of his teammates in disbelief. He threw his head back and yelled.

"WHY IS NOBODY EVER ON MY SIDE?!" he bellowed. "You guys are always ganging up on me and you never take me seriously. Ever!"

"Beast Boy, c'mon, you know that not true. Stop acting like a five-year-old." said Cyborg.

"See?! You just did it again! Nobody is ever on my side!" he cried. "Have you guys forgotten everything that Slade has done to us? Blackmailing and kidnapping Robin, infecting us with those probes, everything he did to Terra, working with Trigon, torturing Raven, trying to obliterate us all those times? Why would you ever want someone that closely linked with **him** anywhere near us?!"

"The same reason we want Raven on our team. She's related to someone evil too, but that doesn't mean anything because she's a hero, and so is Jericho," Robin barked.

"That's it!" Beast Boy screamed. "If Jericho doesn't get kicked off the team, I'm going back to the Doom Patrol. Either he goes or I do and that's final!"

Before anyone could stop him, the shapeshifter stormed off to his room and slammed the door.

Robin sat down and put his head in his hands, running them through his hair.

"Have any of you…ever felt that way?" he asked in a quavering voice.

Cyborg, Starfire and Raven just stared at him.

"Felt what way?" Raven asked.

"Have you ever thought that I shouldn't be the leader?"

Starfire sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around him. Then she placed her hand on the side of his face, tilting it upwards.

"I would never want anyone else as our leader. Robin, since the day we met you have led our team with the courage of a warrior, the steadfastness of a prince, and the heart of a hero. It is true that like all of us, you are not perfect, but you never give anything less than your best and you pour your entire soul into all that you do. And we cannot ask for anything more."

Robin felt Cyborg's large, metal hand on his shoulder. When he stared back up at him, the cybernetic teenager smiled and nodded assent, as did Raven after she placed her hand on top of Robin's. Starfire smiled at him too, her eyes clear and sincere. Robin managed a tiny, insecure smile in return.

A daddy long legs spider skittered into the room, and then Jericho emerged out of it.

"Jericho?" Robin asked. "How much of that did you hear?"

"_A lot_," the blonde boy signed. "_I heard you fighting. This is my fault. I'm sorry_."

"No. It's not. But you really should have told us yourself before we had to find out the way that we did. For you to keep it a secret like that, it almost makes it seem that you don't think that we can trust you," Cyborg said.

"So can we trust you?" Raven asked, stepping close to him.

"_Yes_," Jericho signed. "_Yes you can_."

He turned to Robin. "_Can I stay? Please_?"

"I honestly don't know how safe it would be for you here, what with Beast Boy being so suspicious of you and all. Maybe you should go home until he's calmed down a bit."

"_No_," Jericho signed, pinching his first three fingers together. "_I have to stay until I know that you can all trust me_."

"All right. If you're that set on it, I guess we can't really force you to leave."

"_Thank you_," Jericho signed. "_I'm going back to the guest room now_."

"His condition has stabilized, sir. But he hasn't shown any signs of coming out of his coma."

Slade did not look away from Grant's unconscious body as it lay in its tank, hooked up to various life-saving machines.

"Why didn't he tell me how severe it all was, Wintergreen? I would not have allowed this to happen if he had. And now it seems that I am going to lose both of my sons."

"I am truly sorry. You know that I truly cared for your boys as well. And Joseph may not be forever lost to us."

"I do know. But now my resolve is firmer than it ever has been. I am going to destroy the Teen Titans myself. With my own two hands. Once I relished the feeling of being able to bend others to do my own bidding, but you know how the saying goes: 'If you really want a job done right. You have to do it yourself.' The moment I put my latest and best plan into action, I will have them on their knees begging for mercy."

"I do love the way you talk."

Phobia sauntered into the room, a confident smile on her full, black-painted lips.

"The way you savor power the power you can hold over a person, making them writhe and cry and shudder in your grasp is more than slightly similar to my own."

"And I love what you can do, Phobia. Your magical ability to make a person live inside their deepest nightmares is truly tantalizing."

"Oh, I'm flattered. But I'm really in awe of you. I've heard all about you. And it seems that you can almost essentially do what I can, even without magical abilities."

"I've used magical items and talismans from time to time. But my proudest moments always come when I work without their aid. But I do still want you at my side for this next mission, Phobia."

She sighed. "It really is a pity that you didn't join the Brotherhood of Evil. If we had had you on our side, every Titan would be frozen solid by now. But I'm glad that your compatriot Wintergreen was able to convince me to leave before their ultimate downfall."

"No. The one who called himself the Brain and his associates were all such fools. They never would have won their battle, even with my assistance. The only reason Wintergreen 'joined them' was to serve as my spy into their inner operations, and to confirm that the rumors about my son becoming a Teen Titan were true. And I am glad that you came to your senses and saw how superior you are to all those that stayed behind."

Phobia was absolutely enthralled. She had been searching for someone like him all her life. No one had ever spoken to her or praised her so highly as he had.

"Why, thank you. So tell me, what exactly is this plan of yours?"

Jericho's heart jumped at the sight of Beast Boy suddenly appearing before him in the guest room, Terra's old room. He had taken on the form of a gnat but now he was in human form, glowering and teeth bared.

"You might have everyone else fooled with your little innocent act, but your dad has done way too many horrible things to us and to other people for me to trust you as easily as the others. Maybe nobody else saw it, but I did. You didn't really want to leave him last night. How are we I supposed to trust you knowing that you sympathize with one of the worst people we've ever known? Well?"

Jericho lowered his gaze shamefully, but then his resolve strengthened and he stood up, looking Beast Boy, who was glaring ferociously at him, straight in the eye. He held up his hands and made a chopping motion with one of them into his palm.

"_Stop_," he signed. "_Please_." He rubbed his chest. Jericho then started to sign: "_Really, you can trust me. I'm not like him-_" but he was interrupted.

Beast Boy angrily swatted his hands down. "Forget the signing. I don't understand it, remember?"

Now Jericho was mad, too. His eyes narrowed and pinched all of his fingers together on his forehead before he pulled his hand out all the way at arm's length. Then he picked up his notepad and quickly scribbled:

"That means: Go away_._"

"Not a chance! You get out of our house!" Beast Boy yelled, shoving him towards the door.

Jericho pushed Beast Boy back as his arms left him. He shook his head. "_No_!"

"Oh, so it's a fight you want? Well that's fine by me!"

Beast Boy shifted into a baboon and shrieked, leaping at Jericho again. Jericho rode with the attack and rolled backward, balancing the shapeshifter on his two legs and then flipping him off of himself and back against the door. Beast Boy growled again and became a giant gorilla. Jericho's pupils dilated and he backed away, terrified of the raging beast in front of him. Beast Boy threw his arms back and tried to smash him, but Jericho managed to jump to the side and miss him by the skin of his teeth. He tried to run for the door, but the green gorilla seized him and threw him backwards into the sofa, causing him to feel a sharp pain in his back. Jericho curled up and closed his eyes tightly, shielding his head with his arms.

"Is that all you got?!"

The gorilla charged and lifted Jericho up by his biceps, pinning him to the door again. But the mute Titan had been waiting for that. His eyes snapped open. They had turned as black as obsidian and Beast Boy was powerless to break eye contact as Jericho phased into him, taking control. Beast Boy was forced to change into a hawk, who flew up and then dove down, slamming hard into the floor on it's back.

When Beast Boy regained human form, Jericho was on top of him, glaring.

"Beast Boy, what's are you doing in-"

Raven forced open the door to see Jericho pinning a dazed Beast Boy to the ground.

"…here…"

Jericho immediately started to get up and release his surreptitious teammate, but Raven surrounded his form with her aura and flung him off. The shapeshifter got up and then Raven stepped back away from both of them.

"Beast Boy, get out of here. I want to talk to Jericho in private."

"No way, Raven. I'm not leaving you in here alone with him. You saw what he just did to me!"

"I can defend _myself_. You know that. Leave us alone. _Now_."

Beast Boy scowled and left the room, slamming the door.

Raven's piercing gaze focused on Jericho.

"This team has already dealt with betrayal enough before. And we could have avoided it if only I had been willing to trust my first instincts and stood my ground to not let her on the team. But because of that, we were rendered powerless while our entire city was terrorized and forced to evacuate and we almost lost everything, including our lives. I have no intention of letting that happen again. And you know that your father is a horrible, horrible person, don't you?"

Jericho looked down, filled with shame.

"I'm warning you now. If you're even thinking about betraying us and siding with your father, stop. Just get out and leave, because nothing on earth will save you from me. Understand?"

Jericho gulped and nodded several times, clearly wanting to shrink back away from her, but stayed where he was to avoid looking shifty.

The mistress of magic placed her hood back over her head and left.

Jericho collapsed on the bed. He felt like crying again.

Raven wandered back to Robin, Cyborg and Starfire.

"Raven, you look most upset. Is there anything wrong?"

Raven opened her mouth to answer, but Slade's face appeared on their communications screen, interrupting them.

"Hello again Titans. Before you say anything in return, listen closely because I won't repeat myself. At the pier, where the new amusement park now stands, I am waiting for you. And I expect you to come immediately. As entertaining as our battles have been in the past, it really is time for me to defeat you and for us to end our little rivalry for good. Especially since you "heroes" are responsible for my dear son being in the catatonic state that he is currently in. And as of now, he is unlikely to recover."

Robin winced and clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white beneath his gloves.

"So come. Do not even consider hesitating. After all, I'm not afraid to take precious things from you either, as you remember and as you can see."

Slade lifted a bound and gagged Sarah Simms up into view by her hair.

"Sarah!" Cyborg screamed. "Hang on! We're coming! I'm warning you, Slade if you've hurt her, you are gonna be in a world of pain!"

Slade just let out another cryptic laugh and said: "I'm waiting at the haunted castle," before his image disappeared.

The moment Jericho and Beast Boy had been rounded up, the Titans left for the pier as fast as they could possibly go.

Two girls walked out of a large gothic boutique in the Spring Mill shopping mall.

"Thanks for taking me shopping, Argent," said Jinx.

"No problem. You see now why it's my favorite store?" Argent replied.

"Oh yeah. You have no idea what a relief it is to finally find someone who actually has fashion sense. Those guys I used to hang around with couldn't even tell a tube top from a corset. I couldn't believe how much great stuff they had in there."

"Yeah, you know, I hope to have a store just like it one day."

"Really?"

"Whenever I'm unable find something I like in there or when I have the time, I make my own clothes. I'm taking business, economics, and fashion design classes in school, so if I can find enough time outside of the Titans, I'd like to become a designer and have my own store."

"No way. That's so cool!"

"Thanks. By the way, would you consider being partners with me?"

"You want _me_ to work with you?"

"Definitely. I certainly can't run it on my own and you've got a great aesthetic and sense of style, Jinx. I'd love to have you at my side designing with me."

"I'd like that, Argent. I'd really like that."

"Hi,I'mbackfromthefoodcourt,whatarewetalkingabout?" Kid Flash, asked zooming up unexpectedly behind them.

"GAH!" Argent yelped, dropping her bags.

"Oops, heh, sorry Argent, didn't mean to scare ya," the speedster said, picking up her things and helping her up before she could say: "it's fine."

"I was telling her about my plans for the future and saying that I want to start my own fashion line with her," Argent explained.

"Hey, that sounds neat. You should seriously consider her offer, Jinx. Getting a job like that might help people accept and believe the fact that you're one of the good guys now."

Jinx paused. "Me…one of the good guys. It's still so weird to think about it."

"Do you ever miss the HIVE?" Kid Flash asked her.

"I don't regret my choice one bit and I know I made the right one, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss them. We were friends who knew each other for a pretty long time. All my life I've trained to be a villain, been taught how to be bad and how to hate good. I barely even know how to be a good guy. You saw me today, Argent, I tried to steal something like eight times today."

"That's what I'm here for, gorgeous," said Kid Flash. "You made this choice and now you gotta stick with it, but you won't have to do it alone. You've got me."

"And me too," Argent assented. "And you only tried to steal something seven times."

"Attention citizens of Jump City! We interrupt this radio broadcast to bring you this emergency bulletin. The criminal known as Phobia has been spotted near the city amusement park. Please stay far away from there, but do not panic. We have notified the Teen Titans and they are headed there to deal with her as we speak. In the meantime, exercise extreme caution, remain calm, and avoid going near the park. That is all."

"Phobia…" Jinx whispered.

"What's wrong? Do you know her?" Argent asked, frowning.

"Yeah. Look, it's really personal, and I don't really wanna talk about it now, okay?"

"…All right, but I'm here for you, sweetie. You know that, don't you?" Argent put her hands on Jinx's shoulders.

Jinx offered a sad smile and hugged her back. "I know. Thanks, Arge."

"Whoa, no excluding me from the hugs," Kid Flash said, wrapping his arms around them both.

After he let them go, Jinx looked sternly up at the boy. "Kid Flash, are you doing anything tonight?"

"Not that I know of. Do you need something?"

"I need to go to the pier. I need to see Phobia. But, I want you to come with me. Will you?"

"Anything for you, pretty lady. Are you in too, Argent?"

Argent sighed. "I would come too, but with both you guys and the Titans heading for the pier, someone's got to watch their tower and the city, right? But if you do need me just call."

"Good thinking," Kid Flash stated.

"And don't worry about us. I'll tell you everything once all this over. I promise," the sorceress said, laying a hand on her arm.

Argent smiled and nodded. Jinx was picked up bridal style by the speedster.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Later, Argent. Back in a flash!"

And off they went to battle.

Joseph Wilson knew that this day was going to have to come eventually the moment he accepted the T-Communicator. He had hoped against hope that it never would, but here it was. He was going to fight his father. He sat on the left in the backseat of the T-Car, Raven on the right, and Robin in between them. Cyborg drove as usual, with Beast Boy sitting on Starfire's lap in the form of a cat in the passenger's seat.

Jericho wrung his hands and chewed his bottom lip. He took worried glances at the other Titans, trying to figure out what they were thinking. Robin tapped him on the arm.

"_It's okay_," he signed, smiling reassuringly. "_No matter what the others think, I trust you. You stood up for me. It's my turn to stand up for you._"

Jericho grinned back. "_Thank you_, _R-O-B-I-N._"

"_Nervous?_"

"…_Yes. I know he's done so many horrible things, but I still can't bring myself to completely hate him. He's my Dad. And he used to be a really good Dad."_

Robin looked perplexed.

"_I know that's hard to believe."_

"_Well...yes."_

"_I'm not on his side, though. I'm going to fight him today. No matter how hard it's going to be."_

Robin just nodded and looked back ahead. Raven leaned over and started signing, her face expressionless:

"_Just do your best._"

Jericho nodded. "_I will_."

"All right, y'all. We're here. Let's do this," Cyborg announced as they exited the vehicle.

Slade stared at a framed photograph. It was one of the last family photos that he had ever taken. He and his wife were seated on chairs, Grant stood beside Adeline and Joey was on his lap. He had been about three years old and Grant was seven when it was taken. Joey's smile was practically toothless and he looked as though he was laughing. He had always been such a happy child, and he still was. Slade remembered how when he had called the hospital and they had told him that his youngest son would never speak again, all he could think of was how he would never hear that laugh again, never hear him sing for him again, never hear him say: "I love you, Daddy," as he cuddled up to him and threw his chubby little arms around his neck. But it wasn't his fault. He hadn't done anything wrong, despite the crimes that Adeline accused him of. After that, she took them away from him. She knew that he loved them and they loved him but she separated them from their father. Did he hate her for this? No…Slade hated that she had done that, but Adeline was the only woman he had ever truly loved. The only woman whom he had ever wanted to spend the rest of his life with was her. She was strong, intelligent, fiery, independent, cunning, driven, serious, persistent, determined to get what she wanted, all qualities that he admired more than any others. He ran his thumb over her face. Try as he might to cut himself off from weak emotions like doubt and attachment…he missed her.

"What's the matter? Feeling lonely?" Phobia asked.

Slade put the photo back. "No. The past is the past. Nothing more."

"Excellent," she replied. She advanced towards him again. Slade studied her. He supposed that if someone was asked to name which woman was more beautiful, her or Adeline, Phobia would be the choice that most would make. Her skin was white, smooth and unmarred. Devoid of any scars or blemishes. She had full, luscious, elegant lips, arched, thin eyebrows, round prominent cheekbones, and an hourglass body that she always carried with perfect feminine grace on her long, slender legs. But Slade knew that he would choose Adeline, even with her scars and flaws. He respected them, knew that they showed how much she had fought and struggled through, yet come out on top of.

Phobia pushed the photo face down on the desk.

"Forget that little shrew. Let _me_ make you happy," she said, laying her hand on his mask. The villainess pressed her face closer to his, slowly puckering her lips and lifting up the mask in an attempt to expose his own. He grasped her wrists and yanked them down, squeezing as hard as a vice.

"Don't overstep your boundaries."

"Y-yes. P-please forgive me."

"You are forgiven. But the time for those things that can and will come again later. You have my word."

He drew her into his chest and his hands stroked all the way down her back. A soft moan passed from her lips.

"Well, I suppose I must be going now. Until later, love. Soon those rotten little children will be gone forever."

"And my son will rest in peace, if his time has truly come."

Slade and Phobia departed on their ways to await the Titans' arrival.

Wintergreen just remained where he was and sighed, following his usual orders to not get involved in the fighting. He did walk over to where Sarah was kept in the corner, her arms and ankles tied together, preventing her from getting up or moving. The old officer untied her blindfold and gag and removed them from her face.

"There's no reason for you to be _that_ uncomfortable while he isn't around."

"Let me go! I don't know who you are or what you want, but if you don't release me-"

"There's nothing I can do about that, I'm afraid. But I will not allow you to be harmed, rest assured."

"Does this look unharmed to you, buster?" she asked in disbelief, showing her bound arms and legs.

"I'm sorry about that, miss. If it were up to me, this never would have happened to you."

Sarah frowned. "If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have allowed this to happen."

Wintergreen just sighed. "I could not have prevented your abduction even if I had tried. Once Slade gets an idea into his head there is no stopping him. None."

His hand rested on the tank where Grant slept. Sarah turned and raised her head.

"What is that? Is that a person in there?"

"Yes."

Wintergreen went over to her and helped her stand up and guided her over to the tank, giving her a clear view of the person inside.

"Is he in a coma? What happened?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't quite understand it all myself. Something to do with prolonged usage and exposure to xenothium."

Sarah gasped. "Xenothium? That's terrible!"

"Indeed. Poor boy," Wintergreen assented, his eyes shut in sorrow.

"You know, I might have a way to save him."

"…Really?" He looked at her, then back at Grant, and back at her.

"Could this really be our last battle with Slade?" Starfire asked.

"I hope so, Starfire" said Raven.

The six teenagers walked in a tightly packed group to the haunted mansion attraction in the park. There was a short little walkway leading up to the large, closed door of the mansion. Little signs that read "Beware," "Turn back," "Enter if you dare," and "Enter at your own risk," had been hammered into the ground beside the path. Cyborg grasped hold of the huge door handles and leaned back to pull, but the door opened by itself. When they walked inside, the doors swung back, pushing them all into the pitch black lobby.

"Hello, children," said a snakelike, feminine voice.

Starfire lit up a starbolt and Cyborg's shoulder light popped up, providing them with illumination.

"I can't say I'm happy to see you, but it will be fun to watch you all suffer. We will both enjoy it."

"You have been thorns in my side for too long, Titans. Tonight you aren't going to have any nightmares. You are going to live in them. And now that you are here, in this haunt, you are never. Going to leave it."

"Enough with the threats!" Beast Boy cried, searching all around for him. "Come out and fight!"

"I wouldn't be in such a rush, Beast Boy," Slade replied. "After all, these very well may be your final moments. Why not try to enjoy them? I know I will."

The room was quiet again.

"Where could he be?" Starfire wondered aloud, frantically looking around the room for them.

"And who's the weird lady who's helping him?" Cyborg asked.

"Any ideas, Jericho?" Raven asked.

The blond boy shook his head.

"Listen up, Titans," Robin began in a hushed voice. "We know that we can't take on Slade alone as individuals, but if we all take him on together, he doesn't stand a chance. So let's stay together as a group and search every inch of this place together."

"But what about Sarah?" Cyborg asked. "I want to find her and get her out of here as soon as possible. She never should've been dragged into this."

"Hmm, you're right," Robin answered. "Okay. New plan. First, rescue Sarah. Second, find Slade and…whoever-she-is and take them both down. Can you track her by her phone or her heartbeat?"

Cyborg checked his scanners and frowned, punching several buttons and growing agitated. "Something's messing with my tracking radar. It's not working right."

"All the more reason for us to stay together," said Raven. "If Slade is somehow preventing us from tracking each other with technology, he's probably going to try and separate us somehow. We can't let that happen."

"But Raven, you can sense things, right?" said Beast Boy.

"I can, but we have no idea how big this place is, and my sensing powers don't have a whole lot of range. It's still smartest if we stay together."

They could find only one real pathway inside of the haunted castle, so that was the one that they took. The Titans could hear music playing: pianos, violins, organs, celestas, bells, cellos, music boxes, flutes, harps, formed the symphony that created one spine-chilling melody after another. Mixed in with the songs was the occasional howl of a wolf, cackle of a demon, hiss of a vampire, rattle of bones, clatter of chains, or shriek of men, women, and children in pain and terror. Sometimes it was just a cry, other times they said things like: "RUN! RUN AWAY NOW! PLEASE!" "Why did you do this to me?" "Help! Somebody, anybody! NOOOOOOO!"

Starfire hugged herself and shuddered. Jericho took several deep breaths to calm himself. An animatronic hand reached out from a hole in the wall and seized Beast Boy's leg, crying: "come back with me! I don't want to be alone. Please! I can't bear to be alone anymooore!" Starfire frantically incinerated it with several mini-starbolts, taking care to avoid burning Beast Boy. After several other fake body parts appeared to grab at them and dead animals were dropped on them, a trap door opened beneath their feet. Jericho managed to grab onto the edge, Starfire caught Cyborg as he fell, Beast Boy shifted into a bird and flew up and out. Raven simply regained her focus and levitated in midair and Robin managed to shoot out a line in time. Jericho climbed out first, but when the other Titans started to follow his lead, he signed: "_wait_." Once he had all their attentions he signed again: "_go down_. _I think we should go down._"

"But why?" Starfire asked.

"Don't listen to him! He's leading us into a trap, he has to be!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Why else would he be telling us to go down, while he stays up there safe and sound?"

"Beast Boy, are you even listening to yourself right now? You're being a completely-"

Jericho shook his head, turned to Robin and started signing to him.

"Is someone able to translate his hand movements?" Starfire asked.

"He's saying: 'Normal people are supposed to fall down here. This is where the path leads_.'_ But should we even be staying on the path? Slade could have a trap laid for us either way." Robin thought aloud.

"Then let's spit up here," Raven offered. "Some stay up, some go down."

"No, we must not do the splitting up!" Starfire implored.

"Sarah's in trouble! We've gotta cover as much ground as we can!" Cyborg cried.

The six Titans went on arguing back and forth until they were interrupted by the sound of a large grandfather clock chime.

"Times' up," came the snakelike voice again. Another trapdoor opened from the ceiling above them, and Phobia at last appeared.

"And now we all must say goodnight!" she announced, making hand signs and waving her arms as she casted her spell, lifting them all up out of the hole and placing them on the floor around her.

Suddenly, each Titan found himself or herself alone in complete darkness. No light, no scenery, nothing and no one else around. Just undiluted black everywhere they looked.

"Starfire? Raven? Robin? Beast Boy? Jericho? Sarah? Where are you?!" Cyborg called into the dark, unforgiving realm.

"Friends, where have you gone?! Please answer!" Starfire cried.

"Can anybody hear me? Is everyone okay?!" Raven asked. "I-I can't feel you anymore! Come back!"

"Guys? Guys?! GUUUUYYYYYS?!" Beast Boy howled.

Jericho ran frantically this way and that in search of any sign of anybody. His communicator was not working. He opened his mouth and the only sounds that came out, even though he felt as though he was forcing every ounce of air out of his lungs as he did this, were "He-kcgh-Wh-ahuh-I..t'…suh…" He sank to the floor, not having any idea what to do.

Robin took out his communicator. "Anyone there? Titans, can you hear me? Hello?! Anyone?"

"Hello, little bird," said Phobia, appearing before him.

"What have you done with my friends?" Robin barked. "Where are they?"

"I haven't taken your friends anywhere, darling. I've taken you away from them. Or have I?"

Robin let out a frustrated yell and ran at her, throwing a strong punch. It went right through her. Phobia smirked and laughed haughtily. Robin tried hitting her a few more times, but they all past right through her as though she was made of water vapor.

"Save your strength little bird. You cannot harm me with your abilities. Do you know what I am?"

Robin just stared at her, looking furious.

"I am a demoness. Among my magical abilities and powers, I can reach deeply inside your mind and create your very worst nightmares into reality."

"Good luck with that," Robin snapped "I'm not afraid of anything."

"Oh? Allow me to look into that myself, won't you? Hmm…Oh my. You little liar, you. You have plenty of fears, little bird. But I can only exploit one a time. But which one to choose? This one? No, far too predictable. Ahhh, yes. _This_ one is quite delicious. I can't wait to see you suffer in it's grip and succumb to it's power."

"I won't give up! No matter what you make me see! I won't ever surrender to someone like you!"

Phobia threw her head back and cackled again before she announced: "And now, let the barrier between the mortal life and the afterlife be severed!" and faded into the blackness that surrounded them. Robin looked all around him the area again, searching desperately for the tiniest glimmer of light. When he was about to give up, he saw it. The Teen Wonder's heart leapt and he ran towards it. But something unseen caused him to trip and fall forward on his face.

"Look at him, John, he's so handsome. He looks just like his father at that age."

"Heh, I guess he does kinda look like me. But underneath that mask I know he's got his mother's beautiful eyes."

Robin's chest tightened. He hadn't heard those voices in years, but he would recognize them anywhere. He raised his head, and sure enough, there they were.

"…Mom?...Dad?"

They nodded, smiling at their son. John and Mary Grayson were dressed in immaculate white clothes and their figures were glowing. Robin scrambled to his feet and they held out their arms.

"Mom! Dad! I-it's so great to see you!" Robin cried, beaming. Phobia's power was so great that she could make the person who she focused on completely forget their encounter with her and simply see and live in the worlds that she built for him or her. All that mattered to Robin was that his parents were right there in front of him and he could finally see them again. He ran towards them, ready to embrace them both and feel their arms around him once more. But his father took a step forward as his benevolent expression turned to one of malice and he backhanded Robin's jaw, dazing him.

"Did you honestly think that we would be happy to see you, you stupid, stupid boy?" John hissed.

"Wh…what? Dad, Dad it's me. It's Robin, I mean, it's Dick. Your son, remember?"

"Of course I remember that you're my son! But I wish I didn't!"

"What are you talking about? What do you-"

"We raised you to be a star. We gave up so much to raise you. I could have been an Olympian, but I knew that Mary couldn't raise you all alone so I gave up that dream, thinking that you would be worth it. Boy, was I wrong!"

John seized Robin by the front of his tunic with both hands and lifted him, making their faces almost touch.

"We raised you to be a star, Richard. And you're _garbage_. That's all you are, and that's all you're ever going to be! Garbage!"

Robin's father threw him to the ground.

"Dad, no. You don't mean that. Y-you can't-You can't mean that!"

"Oh I can't, can I?" John bellowed. "Look around you, kid, everyone else feels the same way about you too. Lemme show you, past, present and future."

John gestured towards several portals that formed around him.

"Well, Alfred, he's finally gone. We've made him an emancipated minor and now he never has to come back and as long as I keep helping fund him, with any luck he'll stay away forever. What a relief, huh?"

"Indeed, Master Bruce. I was beginning to think that the little nuisance would never leave. A toast, then, to our lives freshly free of that circus brat who was always getting in everyone's way!"

"NO!" Robin shouted, dashing to the portal and hammering his fists on it. "You don't mean that either! You wanted me at your side! I was like a son to you! You said so yourself!"

In the next portal, Starfire appeared, rubbing her arm.

"He hurt me. How many more times will he make me cry until he is satisfied? Why does he enjoy seeing me in such pain?"

"Starfire! I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you or your feelings! I just-I just-I'm sorry!"

Several of the Honorary Titans appeared in another portal.

"Man, can you believe the mess that Robin got us into?"

"Yeah, and he thinks he's the leader? I can't wait until they elect a new one."

"They'd better, or we're all gonna be dragged down with him."

"He's horrible! And to think he was trained by the Batman and he's still such a complete screw-up."

"I know, right? What an idiot!"

"What a loser!" They all shared a laugh.

Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy also appeared in that same portal.

"You know, I'm starting to think that they might be right," Raven commented.

"Yeah, Rae. Robin really is a pretty awful leader when you think about it. We really should give the reins to someone else."

"That's what I've been saying all along! Either that or one of his dumb plans is eventually gonna be the end of the Titans!"

"Yes, for the good of us, and for the world, we must remove Robin from our midst," Starfire assented. "Forever."

Robin started to hyperventilate. "I never meant for any of those things that to happen! I'm sorry! Please don't leave me!"

Mary Grayson stepped forward. "We raised you to be good. To be a great person. But look at all the bad things you've done. All the people you've hurt. All the battles you've lost. All of your failed ideas. Everything that we gave you, all of our efforts, all of our teaching, all of our love has been for nothing! What did we do to deserve this, John? We worked so hard and he's such a failure!"

She turned away from him and sobbed into her husband's chest.

"Mom…Mom don't cry. Please don't cry. I'm not a failure, I-I'm not. I-"

"YES YOU ARE!" she screamed, turning back at him.

Robin sank to his knees and covered his ears, keeping his eyes shut tight even as tears trickled out of them and they kept on screaming and pointing and laughing.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. I tried my best. I tried my best. I tried my best. I TRIED MY BEST!"

"Cyborg, activate."

"What?" Cyborg was surprised to hear that his voice had become completely flat and toneless.

"Cyborg, activate."

He found his body moving without him commanding them to. He stood up and then turned around to face his four friends. Beast Boy held a remote that was pointed at him.

"Well old buddy, you've had a good run, but we've all gotta go sometime. Especially stuff like you," he said.

"Stuff like me? What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice just as flat as before.

"Robots, machines, technology. Eventually they all become obsolete. And now, that's exactly what you are," Raven stated.

"Friend, this is goodbye. I shall truly miss you, even if you are a mere machine," said Starfire.

"Don't be sad, Star," Robin began. "He's just a robot. And he's not any use in combat anymore. It's time to just let nature run its course."

"Yep. Well ol' buddy. This is it. Goodbye."

Cyborg found himself turning away from his friends again, and this time walking down to a conveyor belt, which he lay down on top of as it creaked into motion.

Cyborg knew he should be have felt terrified. But he _didn't_. His pulse did not quicken, and there was not the tiniest drop of sweat on his brow.

"Why? Why? Why?" was all he could ask himself.

He finally saw where the conveyor belt was heading: to a furnace where obsolete technology gets melted and torn apart to be reused. His friends were no longer his friends. They had become his owners and they were not going to bury him. They were going to throw him away and bits and pieces of him were going to be scattered everywhere: his brain was going to be in someone's car, his heart in someone's generator, his eyes in someone's telescope. He would be quickly forgotten, and there was nothing he could do about it. All he wanted to do was scream.

But he couldn't.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

Raven didn't know what had set her off and given her demonic blood control over her, but it didn't matter. What she saw around her now wasn't the darkness that Phobia had surrounded her with. It was _her_ darkness. The kind that she created. The kind that was an extension of her very soul.

"AIIIIEEEEEK!"

Raven whirled around and saw that it had formed into tendrils that wrapped around each one of her friends. They struggled and squirmed as best they could to escape their grip, but the more they struggled, the harder the shadows fought back and pulled them down.

The darkness dragged Jericho all the way down. He reached out for Raven, signing: "Help! Help! Help!" and tried as best he could to free himself, but he disappeared.

"Raven what are you doing?" Cyborg cried. "Let us go or you'll kill us!"

Raven reached towards him in an attempt to stop her magic from running rampant, but doing this only caused him to sink down even deeper.

"Please, stop!" Starfire sobbed. "Please stop this, Raven!" She was doing her best to create enough light to burn away the energy that was in the process of swallowing her, but it would not release her. Raven mentally recited her mantra and tried to peel it off of her friend, but nothing happened and Starfire continued to suffer.

"Why are you letting this happen, Raven?!" Beast Boy wailed. "You can stop this! Don't let it-" He was cut off by Raven's magic covering up his mouth.

"You're our friend, Raven! You can beat your dark side! Please! Fight it! Raven, help! RAVEEEEEN!" Robin pleaded before Raven's dark, red-eyed soul-self dragged him all the way down.

When the power of Trigon's blood at last subsided and Raven regained control over herself, she frantically casted another spell and brought them back up. Their bodies were limp, lifeless, and cold, looks of agony and terror frozen on their faces for all eternity. For the first time in her life, Raven lost all control of her tears. She wept and bawled so hard that her throat burned and her face was utterly soaked. She covered her face with her hands and then felt something hard on her lips. Raven looked at her hands and found that they had become ruby red and her fingernails were now obsidian black claws. Her hair was long again and had become thin, feathery, and white.

Phobia manifested in front of Raven.

"What's the matter, dear? Need one of these?" she asked, holding up a mirror, allowing her to at last see what she had turned into. She had four blood-red eyes, red skin, antlers, pointed ears, black, flat, thin lips and prominent fangs. The demon's daughter shrieked and threw away the mirror in horror and disgust.

"Don't be so upset, precious gem. You look just fine to me. You're daddy's little princess." Trigon came in after Phobia left, staring down at his daughter. And I couldn't be more proud of you. It seems as though my legacy is in capable hands. You can never purge your blood from your veins, Raven. You are my flesh now and forever," the dread demon said with a laugh.

"We don't want you anymore, Garfield. You've shown us where your loyalties lie. You don't care about us anymore," said Mento, his back turned to his adopted son.

Beast Boy kept trying to run around him and the rest of the Doom Patrol so that he could face them, but they kept turning away from him.

"What are you guys talking about? Of course I care about you! The Titans are my best friends, and Cyborg's like the brother I never had, but you guys raised me! You took me in, and Steve, Rita, you adopted me! I-I'm your son!"

"No Beast Boy. You've never even thought about us since you quit the team and moved in with the Titans," said Elastigirl.

"She's right, kiddo," said Negative Man.

"Sorry, Gar. Steve and Rita are right," Robotman concluded. "And it's probably time for you to go."

"No!" Beast Boy stamped his foot. "I AM a part of this family, too! You know it, I know it, and there's nothing that can ever change that! Something's gotta be messing with your heads. Don't worry, I'll fix it. I'll fix it somehow, I promise!"

"I didn't want it to have to come to this, Garfield, but I'm going to have to send you away by force," said Mento, preparing his brain-enhancing helmet.

"What?!"

"I'm going to send you into a pocket dimension. Where you want have to be near anyone ever again."

"No!" Beast Boy cried. "Why would you do that?"

"Garfield, honey, you know that this is for the best. Look at what's happened to everyone you've ever gotten close to in the past."

Mento then used his powers to create the illusions of three headstones. They read:

"Mark Logan - Beloved Husband and Father", "Marie Logan - Beloved Wife and Mother", and "Niles Caulder – May he rest in peace"

"What are you saying…? Y-you…No. No, that can't be right!"

"And don't forget her either, boy," Mento added, causing Terra's ghostly figure to appear, her bruised body bound in Slade's apprentice uniform. "Face it, everyone you get close to either ends up dead or worse. So just cut yourself off from everyone now before it's too late and before they find out."

"We just did," Raven announced.

"Beast Boy, how could you keep something like this a secret from us?" Robin asked, pointing at him.

"But now it is clear to us that you should not be a part of this team," Starfire stated.

"You can't save anybody. How can you even call yourself a hero? And how could keep something like this from us?" Cyborg assented, motioning towards the three graves.

"None of it was my fault! Really, guys, come on! You trust me don't you? You have to!"

"Who says?" Raven barked. "Just get out of here, go! Before one of us ends up like the rest of your families."

"Nooooo!" Beast Boy screeched.

"Cyborg!" Robin cried.

When Beast Boy opened his eyes, he saw that Cyborg was on the ground, the blue parts of his body having turned grey.

"No way…" Beast Boy quavered. "Is-is he-?"

"He's gone," said Starfire mournfully. "A virus."

"One of our enemies must have done this. But we couldn't detect in time!" Robin added.

Raven placed her hand on Cyborg and pressed her forehead to his. Then she looked back at Beast Boy.

"It's him!" she accused. "He's cursed! Everyone around him ends up like this! We have to get rid of him."

"There, now. You see, Beast Boy? It really is for the best of all of us. Now say goodbye."

Beast Boy could only scream as a black box closed around him, trapping him in and cutting him off from the rest of the world. He hammered his fists on the walls, begging and crying for help, but nobody heard him. He couldn't even hear himself or make any sound at all. Without warning, the box began to get smaller. And smaller. And smaller still. Soon, he couldn't even see himself anymore and found himself having to change into tinier and tinier forms. By the time the box stopped shrinking he couldn't move at all.

"Here she is, your imperial majesty. Isn't she everything you ever dreamed of?"

After she heard these words, Starfire felt herself being pulled forward by her wrists, which had been handcuffed together by cuffs made out a special jewel that she knew would prevent her from using starbolts. She saw that her sister was holding a chain made of that same jewel, and that Blackfire was the one who was offering her up to Citadel emperor. He rose from his garish throne and lumbered over to her, a smug, lecherous grin on his face. Starfire gasped when she saw her reflection in the emperor's armor. Blackfire had had her face made up with magenta eye shadow, black eyeliner, rouge, and violet lip paint. The colors would have looked beautiful on her face had they not been as overdone as they were, and it was clear to Starfire that she had been made to look that way because she was something to be sold. She was also wearing her silver crown on her head, and when she saw her clothes she pressed her legs and arms together, trying to cover herself and make herself look smaller as best as she could. Her chest was partially exposed and no part of her legs and stomach were covered by the too small bikini top that she wore along with a skirt that went down to her ankles and had been slit up to her waist on both sides. Her gauntlets, armband, boots, and collar had been taken from her as well and were replaced with jeweled doubloon bracelets, sandals, and a heavy diamond choker. Starfire closed her eyes as tightly as she could and turned away, never having experienced anything close to this kind of humiliation before and wishing that she could disappear.

Blackfire let out an annoyed grunt and forced her sister's eyes open with her fingers.

"Don't be difficult, little sister. Lord Damyn is your master now."

"Yesss…" he hissed, taking the chain from Blackfire and pulling it up so high that Starfire's feet were off the ground. "And you will serve me well. Won't you, princess?"

He smiled at her again, bearing all his teeth, and touched her face with his three fingers and a hand so large it could crush her skull.

"M-My friends will be here to set me free enough!" she cried. "And when they do, you will pay most severely-"

"Friends, Starfire? Aww, you poor baby. Your friends aren't coming for you. They've totally forgotten you already. We're hundreds of billions of light years away."

"That's right. And even if they did come after you in their little ship, we would be able to catch them and send you even father away long before they could even see you," said the emperor. "My empire is the farthest-reaching in the entire universe. It is mine, and now, so are you."

When he began to laugh so hard his stomach jiggled, Starfire swung her legs up and kicked him in the face, causing him to drop her. When she fell, Blackfire immediately blasted her with a purple starbolt in the chest.

"That's no way to behave, Starfire. I didn't want to have to do this, but if you're going to be this troublesome, I'm going to introduce you to the rest of the people who own you as a servant from now on."

Three more Psions came over and paced around her menacingly, whispering to each other about what experiments they had planned for her. They didn't even bother to greet her, showing how that they thought of her as a thing, not a person.

"Sister, please! Do not let them have me!"

Blackfire raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you're asking me help from me? Well, that's smart of you. After all, I own you now too."

She took something from Lord Damyn and placed it on her head. It was a crown.

"All hail the imperial princess and heir to the throne and all I possess, Komand'r!"

The Psions, Blackfire, and the Citadel all had joint possession of her, Starfire realized. The people who hated her more than anyone she had ever known, would now _own_ her until she died.

"Get ready to die, Slade," Adeline cried, aiming a gun. "I won't rest until you're dead!"

"Addie, don't make me do this," Slade warned.

"Don't make you do what?"

"Don't make me shove him between us again," he said, pinning Jericho to his chest again. "I don't want him to be used as a shield just for you to be willing to spare my life."

"Heh. You think I care about that wimp of a kid? He's a disgrace to our family. Hating fighting, being scared of guns and knives, being an artist instead of a soldier! He's a worthless, sniveling, little brat. You can end him yourself."

"You think I'm proud of him, either? After all, you're the one who raised him to be as pathetic as he is! Not to mention how you utterly failed as a mother to Grant."

"Oh, and I suppose you never being around and letting Joseph lose his voice and risk his life for the sake of your ego was good parenting? I don't want to hear another word out of you, so just die!"

Slade roared and threw a grenade at Adeline just as she fired her pistol. Slade tried to lift Jericho up in order to block the bullet, but it hit Slade anyway and both of his parents collapsed, having been wounded fatally.

Jericho looked around again desperately for help, but his friends seemed to have abandoned him too, and now he was an orphan. And who knew what was going to become of his poor brother? All of his family, that he had loved so much, was now gone. His love wasn't enough to safe them from their hate. He searched for his communicator, but it was gone, too, and he remembered that the Titans had chosen to expel him from the league. Jericho didn't have any friends anymore.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm really sorry about this you guys. I know that you are probably fed up with how I keep jumping around in chronology like this. I'm trying to write out ideas as they come to me so that I can finish this story ASAP, and the idea for how I wanted to do the final battle with Slade came before how I want to finish Starfire's arc. So here is the first part of the aforementioned battle. The conclusion of that is to follow. I would have put it all in one doc, but it was just getting way too long so I decided to split it.<p>

Despite all of that, I hope you like it anyway, and as always, please critique me! Thanks for reading-

Shadow


	6. Episode Six: Dark Carnival Act II

"Phobia, stop! Release that boy, now!" Slade commanded.

Phobia turned towards her partner. "Him? But he's a Titan."

"He's my son. And I'm taking him back. Free this boy from your nightmares. But don't allow him to wake up."

"Very well. As you wish."

Phobia snapped her fingers and Jericho's convulsions stopped as he fell into a peaceful slumber.

Slade lifted him up carefully and laid him against the side of the wall.

"May I see what you have done to them?" Slade asked.

"But, of course," she replied, creating a portal that served as a window into the mind above each Titan.

"Well, well," said Slade. "Isn't this fascinating?"

He went through his rounds with each portal, providing each one with commentary.

"Predictable, but perfectly plausible," he said when he came to Cyborg's.

"How tragic," was all he had to say about Beast Boy's.

"I certainly don't envy her," Slade remarked, tapping the edge of Starfire's portal.

He paused when he got to Raven and Robin's.

"How very interesting."

"Shall we dispose of them, now?" Phobia asked.

"Not yet. I want them to suffer some more. The dreams will keep repeating themselves, yes?"

"That they will."

"Perfect."

"No way! Another false lead? What the heck is wrong with this stupid thing?" Kid Flash asked exasperatedly, shaking his faulty communicator up and down. "The locator isn't working right at all."

"Same with mine. But we haven't exactly making the best time, you know."

"Well pardon me, _principesa_, but I'm trying to save my super speed stamina for Phobia. I don't want to run out power right when she starts doing her worst. And this park is gigantic!"

"I guess that leaves us with only one choice: the haunted place."

"There's a haunted place? No way! Why didn't we go there first?!"

Jinx pouted. "I thought it would be way too obvious! My-Phobia usually isn't that predictable!"

"Well, duh. She knew that you knew that. So she did the exact opposite of what you thought that she thought about doing. And then-"

Jinx's eyes seemed to be firing several hundred daggers at him.

"And then…shutting up now."

"It's that way. Just pick me up and start running."

"Yes, ma'am."

When they were at the entrance, Kid Flash started to head for the door, but Jinx stopped him.

"Let's go around the back. We'll head in through the exit. My powers will let us get through the traps and locks. I can make them work wrong."

It took some doing, but the two young heroes finally made their way through the convoluted park and found the exit to the haunted castle. Jinx casted a quick spell that got them through the locked door and allowed them to enter. Once they were inside, another twirl and hex from Jinx caused a staircase to come down from its trap door in the ceiling after she broke the lock on it. Kid Flash began to climb up it, but when he saw how dark it was, he stopped.

"Say, do you know any spells that could, like, light up the area a little bit? I can't really see too far ahead of me."

"No. Sorry, I don't."

"But you're a sorceress."

"Look, I just can't, okay? Don't rub it in, you jerk!"

"Whoa, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings."

Jinx sighed. "Whatever. Come on, just stay behind me and we'll get through this tunnel. I can see really well in the dark."

"It seems we have a breach in security," Wintergreen said, watching Kid Flash and Jinx enter their fortress on a security monitor.

"Just let them, go," said Sarah. "Let them come. You know that what Slade is doing is wrong."

"No. I shall have to take care of them myself. And as for you, Miss Simms," he added, advancing towards her with the blindfold in hand.

"Get away from me! HELP! HEEEEELP!" she shrieked.

"They can't hear you. You know that, now enough with your fussing!" he spat as he refastened the blindfold around her head. He then dragger her into a closet that had an air vent in it and locked her inside. "Once again, I assure you, you have nothing to fear and you will not be seriously harmed. If you'll excuse me, I must be going."

Wintergreen hurried off and got inside the room where he knew Jinx and Kid Flash were about to enter on the path that they were on. He flipped a switch that locked the doors and trapped the two heroes inside.

"Somebody's in here," the speedster noted. "Stay alert."

Jinx nodded and began to gather magical energy in her hands as she stood with her back facing her ally's. Suddenly she felt a red bolt of energy strike her in the arm. The sorceress let out a yelp of pain and staggered, gripping the place where she had been burned, which had become a stinging, angry welt.

"What happened? You okay? Yai-kes!" he cried as he caught sight of another red beam and moved himself and Jinx away from it in time. His eyes narrowed and he ran in the direction that he had seen the gun firing, making sure to sidestep any blasts that were aimed at him before he reached his target and seized Wintergreen, grabbing hold of the gun.

"You can run faster than the speed of light?!" he asked incredulously.

"Doy," Kid Flash replied, straining to pull the gun from Wintergreen's hands.

While their wrestling for the weapon distracted them, Jinx took the cue to go into action and started to aim a spell at Wintergreen, but found that it was going to be tricky to try and hit him while avoiding her friend. Wintergreen let go of the gun for a moment to perform a leg throw maneuver that tore the speedster's legs out from under him. He reclaimed the gun and aimed it at the boy, forgetting for the moment that he had another adversary out to get him. Jinx casted another hex that made the retired sergeant loses his grip on his weapon followed by another that sent him flying back against the wall. Once he was completely defenseless, she prepared to send another blast at him, but Kid Flash stopped her.

"Aah! Watch it! Remember, if he's not a threat anymore you don't need to keep doing that. Just restrain him and be done with it. There's no need to be cruel."

"Uh, r-right, sorry," Jinx said, her cheeks burning a little before she hit the ground with a spell that altered it and trapped him by the ankles and wrists.

"That's the way. Nicely done," he complemented, clapping a little. "Now just to make sure-"

He ran over to Wintergreen and opened his mouth. "Okay, no mouth mic. And no other hidden communicators anywhere either. All right, let's just leave him here, for now. We've got bigger fish to fry, right?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Okay, bust down the door and let's get out of here."

"Got it."

Wintergreen hung his head and closed his eyes while Jinx and Kid Flash exited the scene. He could do nothing more for his friend now. As powerful as Slade was, he and Phobia were vastly outnumbered. The old sergeant's throat tightened when he realized that Slade probably would rather commit hara-kiri than lose to the Titans and be captured. He may be about to lose his best friend of so many years forever.

"SLADE!" he yelled. It was all he could do, maybe there was a chance that he could be heard. "SLAAAADE! SLADE! SLAAAAAAAADE!"

Nothing.

The end was near.

"By the way, thanks a lot for the save back there. Dodging anything at that speed takes a lot out of me, and I don't think I could have done it again, so you saved me from a pretty nasty injury back there," Kid Flash commented.

"Oh, uh, no problem."

He frowned. "Jinx, is something bothering you? What is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now! And besides, we've got a mission to do, stay focused on that!"

"Sheesh, I'm sorry, all right?"

"Ugh, it's fine, but we've gotta hurry! C'mon!"

Jinx started running down the path, and Kid Flash followed after her.  
>****<p>

After a while, Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy and Raven's nightmares all ended. Their cold sweat, convulsions, tears, and groaning all stopped and they lay motionless on the ground, at the mercy of Slade and Phobia.

"Let us dispose of them now, shall we?" Phobia asked.

"No…" said Slade. "Not like this. This was only intended to be phase one of my plan. Destroying them like this would be too…impersonal. I want to fight them myself, now that I have tortured them all in the worst possible ways. Will they wake up soon?"

"Yes. The dreams will end. And they will remember what I made them see, but I cannot make them see it again."

"Very well, but you have done enough for now, my dear. It's time for me to take over."

Slade went over to Robin and threw him over his shoulder. He lifted Jericho up with his other arm, and took them both up to the room where Grant's body lay in the tank. When he arrived, he was surprised to find that Wintergreen was missing and called his name several times. He was never answered. Some more muffled cries for help from behind the closet let him know where Sarah had been moved to, so that was fine. He checked the security cameras to find him, but he ultimately decided that since his friend did not seem to be in too terrible condition, he could wait until after he had settled matters at hand. Slade felt Jericho begin to stir under his arm, so he handcuffed him to a pole in the corner of the room.

Robin awoke to the sound of snapping fingers in his face.

"Wake up, Robin," he snapped.

Robin's eyes opened and he scrambled to his feet.

"Slade," he said.

"Robin, it began with you, and now it is going to end with you. You have been a thorn in my side for too long, and you may have taken the life of my eldest son. Look."

Robin saw Grant's unconscious body and his heart sank. That _had _been his fault. Slade yanked Robin to his feet and held his arms behind his back.

"Look at what you have done, Robin. Quite the hero you are, indeed."

"No," Robin said. "I-I tried to save him. It wasn't my fault! It wasn't."

"Even if you did, nothing can change the fact that if you had not created Red X, this would not have happened to my dear son," Slade said. He released Robin's arms so that he could then turn around and face him.

"Do you have any last words, Robin?"

Robin just stared, watching for any hint of Slade preparing a weapon or move to be used on him.

"You can never defeat me on your own. You know that. Every time we have fought, you have lost. Your friends always have to come and save you. But now, they can't. Now, you and I are going to have one last battle, which I will win. And you know that I will win. Your life is about to end, child."

Robin swallowed.

"But it doesn't have to."

Slade closed the gap between himself and the Boy Wonder, lifting his chin up between his thumb and forefinger.

"If you were willing to become my apprentice, I would give you the position back. You have what my neither of my sons do: both intelligence and ruthlessness. You could still become me. You are still the boy I always wanted as my son. And as you know, you are not a hero. Why not embrace your true, full potential and become a criminal? You have failed everyone you have ever known. Your mentor, your parents, and your friends. Let it end, dear boy. Let the failure end. And I'll forgive it all"

Robin wanted to fire back that everything that Slade had said was a lie, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop himself from wondering what his friends and family really thought of him. If they had just said that because they were proud simply because they were better, nicer, more understanding people than he was and didn't want him to feel bad. He may have let them down, but they couldn't help but feel sorry for him because he was so delusional, wasn't he? Being proud of himself when he had no reason to be-no. He couldn't think about that now, he just couldn't. A moment ago, Slade had called Grant his "dear son", but now he was saying that he could forget about him if only Robin agreed to serve him again? Was he that cold and compassionless, or was he just a vicious liar? Either way, this just cemented the fact in Robin's mind that Slade was a _monster_. A monster who had to be stopped no matter what. Robin knew that no matter what was about to happen, he could not give up. Not yet. He had to make up for everything somehow. He had to keep trying. Even if he was a failure, he wasn't a quitter, right? He would not go down without a fight. He and his friends had done the impossible and defied the inevitable before. Maybe this was his time now. His time to win.

"I see that you are deep in thought, Robin? So, what do you say?" Slade inquired, brining his face closer to Robin's.

Robin's face formed a defiant scowl and he expectorated right in Slade's face.

Slade let out an exasperated grunt and tried to punch Robin in the stomach, which he dodged with a back handspring to gain distance. When Robin looked back up, Slade had rubbed the saliva from his face and was standing up straight again.

"Enjoy your last few moments alive, Robin."

Robin got into his fighting stance, waiting for Slade to make the first move. He knew that this was unlike him, but he decided that he should try using a different strategy against Slade, this time, and maybe something like this would confuse him a little. He had to try and stay calm. He had to be brave. Robin knew that even if he wanted to at least die with honor, even if what Slade and his parents had said about him was true and that he wasn't going to die a hero.

Slade grew tired of waiting and threw another punch, aimed at Robin's chest. Robin managed to duck out of the way of this one too, getting on the ground and then landing a hard kick on Slade's knee. Robin noticed that his threw off Slade's balance, so he when he got to his feet, he followed through with a yell and a hurricane kick to Slade's face. After receiving this blow, Slade grasped Robin's leg and slammed him flat. Robin rolled over and out of the way of Slade's jump kick and stood up again. He thought about running down to find his friends and make sure that they were okay, but he didn't want to leave Jericho alone with Slade. His adversary aimed several jabs at Robin with his fists, and he managed to block them all except for one, which struck his midsection. Slade had grown frustrated and it was such a hard blow that it knocked the wind out of Robin, and he was doubled over on the ground. He coughed until he finally vomited what little food and water were still left in his stomach. Slade then kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him rolling across the floor.

"You aren't a hero, Robin. You're a failure. A worthless failure. You cannot defeat me. You have both failed and hurt your friends, your mentor, and your family. They don't need you and you constantly keep letting them down."

Robin panted heavily, wincing in pain. Slade had kicked him so hard that he must have cracked or broken several ribs. It hurt to breathe.

"You're a burden to them. Just lie still, and I'll end it. I'll take you away from them forever, so that you can never cause them any more pain."

Robin said nothing and lay motionless. Slade seized a fistful of his hair and yanked him to his feet.

"How does that sound?"

"Wake up, you little worms. I'm growing bored," Phobia snorted. After a little while, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg all came to their senses. Their eyes fluttered open and they slowly raised their heads, completely dazed.

"Awake at last, I see. Well do not attempt to fight me. I can make even more nightmares for you!"

The demoness prepared to cast another spell, but her magic seemed to have no effect. She felt the mystical energy flow from her, but it seemed to be cut short and whatever form it took was incomplete.

The Titans just watched and waited to see if it was some kind of trick or she was preparing something worse.

"What's wrong? Having a little trouble? Maybe you're just not working hard enough," a catty voice crowed.

Everyone's eyes followed the sound of the voice to its source. It was Jinx's. Her eyes glowed pink as her magic interrupted Phobia's, preventing her spells from having any effect.

"Or maybe you're just having a little bad luck."

"Looks to me, like it was the latter," said Kid Flash, cracking his knuckles. "And it's about to get a whole lot worse."

Phobia's eyes widened and she stared at Jinx. "_You_ are fighting me? But, why? You would betray me?"

Jinx swallowed. "Yes," she stated, her voice trembling a little. "Y-yes I would and I am."

"Jinx, you don't know what you're doing. You've made the wrong choice. You're better than these idiotic little children. You know that, don't you?"

Jinx's resolve grew stronger. "No. No, I'm not better than them. But I was worse than them before I joined them."

Phobia was in shock. Her jaw fell and her hands dropped to her sides. "WHAT?"

"Where are Jericho and Robin?" Starfire asked.

"We've got to go and find them, Sarah, and Slade," Raven added.

"Go!" Kid Flash. "We can handle her ourselves, so don't worry."

"You will not be permitted to esca-aagrh!" A shockwave of Jinx's signature magic cannoned at the villainess, granting the rest of the Titans ample time to run past her and through a newly revealed doorway.

Phobia floated to her feet, rising menacingly into the air.

"You are behind this!" she bellowed at Kid Flash. "You turned my daughter against me! And you will pay!"

She conjured up ropes made out of green energy which started to wrap around the speedster. He began to vibrate and spin around rapidly, keeping them off.

"Perfect!" Phobia barked. "Now, begone!"

She aimed another spell at Kid Flash, which didn't seem to do anything at first, but when she called off the ropes, Kid Flash realized with shock that he couldn't stop himself from spinning. So he continued to drill his way down into the ground against his will.

"Raven, can you sense anybody now?" Cyborg asked.

Raven closed her eyes and got into lotus position while levitating, deep in concentration.

"Slade, Robin, and Jericho are this way," she said, motioning towards a path that would lead them to the heart of the haunted mansion.

Jericho watched in horror as Slade and Robin fought. He was powerless. Again. He _hated _this. He was not going to watch helplessly once more while his friends suffered. Jericho had to do something and he had to do it fast. He struggled and strained against the cuffs, but he quickly realized that he could not escape them. If he was going to get free, he would have to try and possess someone. Slade and Robin weren't going to look at him anytime soon. He was stuck! And then there was his brother, lying unconscious. He could phase into unconscious people, but he had to be touching them, even though he didn't have to do that when they were awake as long as he could make eye contact. He ground his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. Why did they have to be so specific?

Suddenly, a thought struck Jericho. What the limits of his powers weren't as specific as he thought that they were? Relative to the other Titans, he and his mother had discovered his powers recently and when they were training and trying to figure out what he could do, they hadn't tried to push past what limits he appeared to have, instead just working on mastering what they knew he could do and practicing hand to hand combat. What if he could push past those limits?

"My powers are psychic in nature, right?" he thought. "If I can control people with my mind without using magic, then they must be. And psychic powers are fueled by will."

Jericho took a deep breath. "Just have to focus," he thought. "I have to get Dad away from Robin for at least a few moments before the rest of the Titans get here and we can all beat him together. Focus."

Jericho's eyes shone black as he stared at his brother. He felt his body holding him back, resisting the transformation into his wraith form that would enable him to take possession of Grant. He felt as though his soul was chained up and tied down by weights.

"Come on, concentrate," he thought. "Push past it. I'm the one in control. This is my power. Concentrate."

He visualized his body becoming immaterial and going inside of Grant's. He felt his pulse pound and sweat beading on his forehead. And the weights began to become lighter and lighter.

"Almost there," he thought. "I can feel it. Just a little more. COME ON!"

Suddenly, he felt a flicker as he became a wraith for one moment. He had it! Jericho mustered up all the inner strength he had and more and-

_Contact!_

The cuffs clattered the to ground as their prisoner escaped them and Jericho's wraith form flowed into his brother.

"Uuuaaagh…"

Slade turned around at the sound of that muffled groan and saw that Grant was stirring.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "But how?"

Jericho/Grant pressed a button inside the chamber that opened the lid and sat up.

"Dad…" he rasped with Grant's voice.

Slade threw Robin to the ground, confident that he was now to too weak to be much of a threat, and ran to his seemingly awakened son.

"Wh-what happened?"

Slade pressed Grant back down on the padded bench inside of the tank.

"Hold still," he snarled. "You've got to rest."

"What happened?" Jericho repeated. Good. Slade seemed to be buying it. Those drama classes at school were paying off.

Robin got back up on his feet and steadied himself. "How did that happen?" he thought. The Teen Wonder caught sight of the limp handcuffs lying on the floor. "Where's Jericho?"

It didn't take long for him to put two and two together. But what was he going to do? As irrational as it seemed, he didn't want to attack Slade and try to get the upper hand while he was tending to Grant. It would be far too dishonorable. Should he try to run out of the room and find the Titans?

A muffled knocking sound from behind the closet door resolved his dilemma for him.

"Sarah Simms must be in there!" he deducted. "I've gotta get her out. She might be running out of oxygen in there."

Robin dashed over to the door and pulled out the lock pick from his utility belt and set to work on the door. He got it open and found Sarah bound and gagged inside. She was looking very lethargic, but when she saw Robin and felt fresh air coming into the tiny space, she perked up.

"You okay?" Robin asked. "Hang on, I'll untie you."

He scurried over and undid the gag and blindfold, but before he could untie her wrists and legs, he felt a searing pain around his neck as he felt his cape being yanked back and up, dragging him with it.

"Don't be so foolish to think I've forgotten you," Slade growled.

Slade threw Robin against the wall, and then slammed the door of the closet, trying to trap Sarah inside again while he and Robin continued their fight. However, he was so focused on Robin and Grant that he failed to notice that he had slammed the door What he did was slam the door on Sarah's leg, which she had jammed into the doorway due to the fact that she was so desperate to get out. She chomped down hard on her bottom lip to suppress her cry of pain. Sarah took this opportunity to nudge the door open with her head and peer out, racking her brain on what to do next.

Knowing that he had to protect Sarah gave Robin some much-needed motivation and managed to defend himself from all of Slade's attacks.

"Sarah! Robin! You in here?"

Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire all rushed into the room. Sarah pushed the door all the way open.

"Cyborg! I'm over here!" she called.

The half-man half-robot dashed over to his friend and yanked off her ropes.

"Sarah, are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I think I'm-ouch!" her efforts to stand failed due to the injury that had been caused by the door. Cyborg gingerly picked her up.

"Okay, maybe not."

Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven all went to Robin's aid. Starfire fired a powerful starbolt at Slade's back and Beast Boy leapt at him in his kangaroo form, landing a harsh kick to his chest. Slade growled and fired his laser weapon at Starfire and Raven stunning the teenaged girls and sending them crashing to the floor. He then threw an exploding boomerang at Beast Boy, who only just barely managed to become a tortoise and retreat inside of his shell to avoid the full brunt of the blast, but he still took a great deal of damage from it. Slade was about to start attacking Robin again, but then he heard another groan.

"Dad…help! I need help! It's killing me!"

Slade rushed over to Grant, who seemed like he was trying to get out of the tank again and firmly laid him down again.

"Wintergreen! Wintergreen, I need you! Get over here!" the villain barked.

No answer.

"Grant, hold on. Hold-"

"Don't let him sit up!" Sarah cried. "He's way too fragile! That could worsen his condition!"

Slade saw them. Grant's eyes, which were normally a cold, steel grey, were green.

That could only mean one thing. From the corner of his eye, he saw that his younger son was missing.

And something inside of Slade broke.

"Joseph," he said in a voice that was utterly devoid of emotion. "I can see your eyes behind Grant's. Get out of him. _Now_."

Jericho flew out of Grant and reappeared behind his father. Grant's eyes closed again and his head snapped back. Slade closed the tank again.

"I'm sorry," Jericho signed as fast as he could. "But you were going to-"

Slade seized Joey's wrists and pinned him up against the wall.

"You betrayed me Joseph. You, my own flesh and blood. I'm not an unreasonable man, Joseph. Thus, I was willing to overlook the incident that occurred yesterday. But turning against me and risking your own brother's life in the process?"

Jericho stared up at his father, his eyes wide and pleading.

"That. Is unforgivable."

Slade's grip shifted from Jericho's wrists to his neck and started to strangle him. Squeezing so hard it felt as though he meant to break the boy's spine in addition to keep all of the air out of his lungs. Right after that, he removed one of his hands from Jericho's throat and began to punch him repeatedly in the face at point blank.

"Let him go!" Robin cried, landing a roundhouse kick to Slade's legs.

Cyborg, who had put Sarah down safely in a corner, tore Slade off of Jericho. Thy cybernetic teen then cried: "This is for Sarah!" and floored him with a right hook of his own. The rest of the Titans quickly encircled Slade once again.

"You're finished, Slade," Raven hissed.

"No matter how powerful you may be, you cannot defeat all of us at once," Starfire added.

"And you know it," Beast Boy continued.

"So don't try to deny it," said Cyborg.

Jericho hung back behind, just wishing for it all to be over.

Robin took out his staff and pointed it at Slade's neck. "It's over. And now you're under arrest."

Slade said nothing, but inside practically felt his brain breaking. Everyone in his life had turned on him or abandoned him. Everyone.

There was only one thing he could do now.

He pressed the button on the center of his belt, and suddenly all of the exits to the room were sealed and a loud, but thin, beeping sound was heard.

"No, Titans. You may think that you have me cornered, but in reality, I am the one who has cornered you."

"What?" Cyborg asked.

"That sound that you all just heard is the sound of a countdown beginning. A bomb is now about to go off in this room after it has finished the ten minutes it will need to charge, and there is no way of getting out. I may end up getting destroyed, but the fact that I am taking you all with me means that this will be worth it. And who knows? Perhaps another demon will bring me back. Either way, it's been nice knowing you children, but now we must part. Forever. Goodbye."

Raven's soul-self surrounded her and she tried to fly through the ceiling of the room, but something unseen seemed to repel her and she was knocked backwards.

"Oh, that. Phobia was kind enough to reinforce the walls of this room with spells that will repel any and all physical and magical attacks on these walls. So you see, this is the end. There aren't any cheat codes or tricks for you to discover this time. _You _are finished."

"No!" Starfire cried.

"Somebody, find that bomb!" Cyborg ordered. "It's our only chance!"

"Perhaps he is cloaking it somehow!" said Starfire.

Beast Boy turned into a bloodhound and started running all over the room desperately smelling for the slightest hint of a bomb. Cyborg turned on his scanners and joined in the searching along with Starfire and Raven.

"Titans, stop!" Robin yelled.

"Robin, are you kidding?" Sarah asked. "We only have a few minutes left before the bomb goes off!"

"There is no, bomb. Is there, Slade?"

The Titans all stared at Robin.

"What?" Beast Boy asked.

"There is no bomb. Slade and Phobia aren't that powerful. We're stronger than they are, aren't we?"

"Man, have you lost you're mind?!" Cyborg yelled, trying to search and talk at the same time.

Slade shrugged. "It makes no difference to me if you're not going to listen to your friends, Robin. It's your funeral."

"No," said Robin, shaking his head. "Cyborg, if there really is a bomb here, then why can't your amazing technology find it?"

Cyborg blinked. "Uh, because-"

"Starfire, you're the fastest flyer I've ever seen and you've got amazing eyes. You've searched everywhere, too. So why can't you find it?"

"Um…"

"Beast Boy, you said it yourself. You can change into the most awesome animals on Earth and then some. You're senses are stronger than any technology and human's, so why can't you find it?"

"Uh…"

"And Raven, you're one of the most powerful magic users on Earth, so why can't your spells or senses find it?"

"I don't know. Maybe Phobia casted another spell to-"

"Is there any magic that powerful? Any spell that can beat all of us and our skills combined?"

Robin looked at all of them. "There's no spell that can beat _all of us_ together! No magic or technology or mind is that powerful!"

The room was quiet, so Robin continued.

"Slade, and Brother Blood and Trigon and the Brotherhood of Evil and anyone else might try to say otherwise, but that's all they can do. Talk and pretend. It's all an illusion. Slade was just trying to distract us all just so he could escape or get rid of us some other way! I don't know what you were planning, but it doesn't matter now."

Robin turned to Slade. "You're all built around illusion Slade. Because you're built around fear: 'Sooner or later, you _will_ see things my way,' ; 'I'm the only one who can help you, Terra,' ; 'You're going to destroy the world, Raven,' ; 'I'm real enough to finish you,'" he quoted.

"Shut up!" Slade countered. He went back on the offensive, firing a thermal blaster at Robin, which he dodged and ran at Slade with another unstoppable punch. At the same moment, Starfire fired starbolts from her eyes which she charged with a great deal of her inner energy, Raven shot out a beam or her black aura, pouring all of the anger and hate that she felt towards Slade into it, Beast Boy became a hyena and bit down on Slade's ankle with all his might, and Cyborg shot Slade with his sonic cannon, which he sent a quarter of his battery's juice into. As powerful as Slade was, even his body could not withstand that much abuse, and he collapsed with a sharp shout of agony.

"Everybody gets what they deserve in the end, man," said Cyborg.

"And you just got it," said Beast Boy, knowing where his friend was going.

"This is not the end for us," said Starfire.

"But it's the end for you," said Raven.

"You've said that we're alike, Slade. And we are. But I may make tons of mistakes, and I might be betrayed and I might fail, but I'll never abandon what I know is right and neither will any of my friends. We'll never stop needing each other or stop fighting against evil or turn our backs on the people who we love or need us to be there. And that's what makes us stronger than you."

Slade had lost. And he knew it. There was nothing he could do or say to change or mitigate it. And there was no way out. Mercifully, his eye rolled back and he blacked out, the trauma from the Titans' devastated attacks draining what remained of his energy.

"Mom!" Jinx cried. "Mom, he's my friend! Reverse that spell!"

"I did that for your own good, Jinx. Now I can correct your grievous mistake."

"My mistake? No! If anyone's made a mistake, it's you!"

"What?!" Phobia hissed.

"I remember what you told me. You turned yourself into a demon, and my father was a human without any powers, so all that my magic can do is bad things. All I can do is hurt people and ruin things! And if you've taken my best friend from me, I'm going to ruin you!"

Jinx's eyes glowed bright and fired gigantic, unavoidable pink rays at her mother.

Dazed, she tried to counter the spell somehow, but Jinx continued her relentless assault and barely gave Phobia a chance to breathe.

"ENOUGH!" Phobia cried. "I don't want to do this to you dear, but you leave me without a choice!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath Jinx disappeared beneath her and she fell, ground covering her and burying her alive. She screamed for help again and again, but no one came for her.

"Now, I can take you home with me," said Phobia. "I'll cure you, Jinx. Don't worry."

"She doesn't need curing!"

Kid Flash popped back up out of his hole and ran back over to Phobia, firing punch after punch like a gatling gun, which she was powerless to counter.

"How?!" she cried, panting on the ground.

"You're spell made me keep spinning, but I found out that it didn't completely control me. So I started spinning in the opposite direction to send myself back up, and then it released its grip on me too."

"But can you escape this-"

"He won't need to!" Jinx had awoken and jinxed her mother's magic once more.

"I'm your daughter, Mom. I'm way too familiar with your tricks to let them work on me."

Jinx continued on the offensive and fired another shockwave of magic at her mother, which tore up the floor beneath them. Kid Flash took the cue to tie Phobia up with more ropes the he kept hidden inside his suit and tied Phobia around long before she could react.

"Kid Flash, come in, this is Raven."

Kid Flash took out his communicator. "Look, they're working again! What's up, Raven?"

"Yeah, we found the tool that Slade had used to break up our network and we turned it off. Listen, we've taken care of Slade and we've called the police. How are things on your end?"

"Slade lost?!" Phobia cried in shock.

"Same, we go Phobia and that assistant guy. So we'll meet you at the main gate with everyone?"

"Yeah. See you then."

"Cool. Kid Flash over and out."

Kid Flash turned to Jinx. "Can you stay here with her? I've gotta go get that other guy."

Kid Flash zoomed off and left Jinx alone with her mother.

"Why, Jinx?" Phobia asked, her eyes clouded with mist. "Why did you betray me?"

Jinx took a deep breath.

_Flashback_

"_But why can't I go to a normal school, Mom?" _

_Phobia knelt down in front of her daughter outside the main building of Junior HIVE Academy and held her shoulders._

"_Because you're like me, Jinx. You're what is called 'evil', darling. You can never be 'good'. Look at your powers, look at your name. All you can do is destroy things and hurt people. And that's all you're meant for."_

"_Really?" she asked. _

_Phobia smiled. "Yes. But we're not 'wrong', Jinx. People are naturally selfish and naturally desire power. People who try to be 'good' and unselfish are just lying to themselves and everyone else. You're not in the wrong for being who you are, anyone who tells you otherwise is. Now go, learn, and be yourself. And mommy will always be here for you._"

_Mother and daughter embraced and Jinx was sent on her merry little way._

"You betrayed _me_, Mom. All you ever taught me was about evil. You told me that I had no other choice than to be good. You never gave me a chance to think about anything else or thought about what I wanted."

"I _was _thinking about you," Phobia cried. "If you had gone to a normal school, people would have laughed at you, hated you, and ridiculed you, just like they did to me. I wanted you to have acceptance. I wanted you to have support. My 'good' family rejected me and tried to 'cure' me when they realized that I could use black magic. Everything I did and taught you, I did for you!"

Jinx took a step closer to her and crouched down.

"Mom, a lot of heroes and a lot of people on the Titans have suffered too or even have dark powers. But they didn't hurt people because those things didn't give them the right to hurt people. I've realized that now. I hope that you can, too."

Phobia said nothing and turned away.

"Mom, can I just ask you one more thing?"

No response.

"What did my father name me? I know he was sick and passed away after I was born, but is Jinx really my only name? Phobia's not your only name. Is there another name for me, too?"

Phobia didn't answer.

Jinx stood up again at the sound of a siren. "The police is here. This is goodbye, for now at least."

Jinx pulled her bound mother up and half-carried, half-dragged her out of the room.

"Jillian," Phobia whispered in Jinx's ear.

Jinx stopped. "Huh?"

"Jillian. Jillian Beatrix Hawkins. That was your father's name for you. I never told you because everyone else would always just know you as Jinx. The bad-luck girl. I wanted you to be proud of that."

"I am. Thank you."

The policemen were waiting with an open van to take Phobia to jail. They took her from Jinx and loaded her into it while Jinx looked on, an anguished look on her face. They had separate vans for Slade and Wintergreen, wanting to keep them all apart.

"Thank you, Jinx," the chief said. "I know that you paid your fine and all, but it's great that you've decided to keep serving our city and I'm pleasantly surprised that you did. Looks like you've turned over a new leaf"

He offered his hand to her, which she reluctantly shook. "Chief?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Don't…don't hurt her. Please. I think she needs to be sent to an asylum."

The officer nodded.

"All right. We'll see what we can do."

The van drove off and minutes later, Kid Flash appeared next to Jinx with a defeated Wintergreen and the Titans with Slade, along with Grant, who Sarah had instructed the Titans on how to safely move.

"Once again, thank you so much Teen Titans," said the chief. "We've been waiting to get our hands on you for a long time, Slade."

Wintergreen turned to Jericho.

"See what you have done, Joseph. What your actions have done to your father and godfather!"

"Enough, Wintergreen," said Slade. "He is not my son."

Jericho just hung his head, too sad and exhausted to even cry. The van drove off.

"We wish to express our gratitude to the two of you for your help," said Starfire, turning to Jinx and Kid Flash.

"No problem!" he said.

"So what's next for you two?" asked Cyborg.

"…We don't know," said Kid Flash, after he and Jinx stared at each other for a moment.

"Would you mind staying in Jump?" Robin asked. "A large-scale alien invasion is coming our way and we'll need you."

"Count on it," said Jinx. "We'll be there."

"Right, but can we go get some food first? I'm so hungry could eat a beached whale right off the beach," said Kid Flash.

Jinx groaned. "Fine. See you later, guys."

They finished their goodbyes and the Titans drove back to the tower. Normally they would have celebrated with a breakfast feast of a mountain of pizza, but the sight of Jericho looking so despondent dampened the mood far too much. When they all got back inside, they took Grant to the sick bay and helped set up a place where he could safely rest. Beast Boy approached Jericho and Robin.

"Look, Jericho, I just wanted to say that…I'm sorry I was such a huge jerk to you. I was 100% wrong and you really came through for us. I was just really paranoid. You think we could, heh, kinda, maybe, start over?"

Jericho looked away.

Beast Boy sighed. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for that,"

But then Jericho looked back up again, smiled weakly, and nodded.

"Oh, cool! Thanks, dude."

"Yeah, man, you really proved yourself," said Cyborg.

Beast Boy turned to Robin.

"Listen, Robin, what I said to you-earlier today-I didn't actually mean it and I'm sorry I-"

"It's okay," Robin answered. "You and the others have every right to criticize me. And if you ever all decide that you don't want me as a leader anymore, I'll step down. No hard feelings."

"That's not gonna happen anytime soon, dude," said Beast Boy. "I mean, sure, you do mess up big time every now and then, but at the end of the day, you know what you're doing. So stay where you are, okay?"

Robin grinned and the two clasped hands. "Got it."

Beast Boy then let out a tremendous yawn. "If I don't get to bed soon, I'm gonna keel over, so see you all in the morning!"

Beast Boy headed off for his room.

"There," said Sarah. "His condition has stabilized again. I'll take another look at him in the morning. Don't worry, Jericho. We'll bring your brother back."

Jericho signed: "thank you." Bottom of Form

"You're welcome. Say, is it okay with you guys if I stay here tonight?"

"Of course," said Starfire. No one objected.

"C'mon, Sarah, I'll take you to a guest room," said Cyborg, her injured leg having been quickly taken care of.

"Good night!" they both said, Sarah following Cyborg behind on crutches.

Starfire went to Robin and pulled him in for a quick hug and kiss. "Good night, Robin. Good night everyone."

"Good night, Star," he replied. She then returned to her own room.

Jericho started to leave, but Robin stopped him.

"You can keep staying with us for as long as you need to, okay?"

The blonde mute just nodded.

"Jericho, I know that it must hurt a lot to have lost so much of your family, but, if it's any consolation, you have a family here, with us," said Robin.

Jericho didn't know what to say. He couldn't. So he leaned his head on Robin's shoulder and hugged him tightly. Robin wasn't quite expecting that, but he hugged him back, knowing that his friend probably needed it. Raven laid a hand on Joey's back.

"Jericho, there's something I need you to know," said Raven.

He looked back at her. "What?" he signed.

"Don't feel guilty about Slade, okay? He was wrong, and you were right to stand up to him. You should be proud. My father tried to use and manipulate me, too. But we're both better than they are. We don't need them. We've got the people who really care about us."

She smiled at him and he smiled back. He wanted to hug her too, but he signed his thanks again, followed by: "You're awesome, Raven."

The mistress of magic blushed again. "Eh heh, thanks."

"Now, I think we'd better get some rest," said Robin.

Jericho complied and headed off for his room once he had signed good night and sleep well. Raven and Robin followed suit. Gratefully accepting a moment of respite before their next terrible challenge.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey guys. So here you go. Thanks again for reading. I'm not entirely sure if I'm satisfied with the ending of this one. And we will hear more about Slade and Wintergreen and their fate.<p>

As always, let me know what you thought, please!

Have a good one.

Shadow.


	7. Episode Seven: Psions

8.7 million documented species, according to our report."

Professor Chang's face appeared on a screen inside the spaceship. "To be exact, 13,033 Chromista, 8, 118 Protozoa, 215,644 Plants, 43,271 Fungi, and 953,434 Animalia and many more besides yet undiscovered by humans."

As the twisted scientist recited all these names and numbers, the faces of the Psion aliens that had traveled on the voyage lit up with greed and delight as they leaned closer to it.

"So many species," said the captain. "So much to discover. To study. To learn. I'm as giddy as a schoolboy."

Chang smiled back. "Yes, captain…and if I recall correctly, one of your old escaped subjects now lives here as well." He lifted up a photograph of the Teen Titan known as Starfire and held it up so that they could see.

"Oh…It will be such a delight to see her again. To see how this planet has changed her, how she has grown. How she has used the abilities our science gave her."

"Silkie, when is it going to begin?"

Silkie looked up from where he had been snoozing on Starfire's bed. "Wheek?" he gurgled.

"When will the aliens attack? They said that they would be back for Earth, but we have yet to see another sign of them."

The Tamaranean sat down next to her bumgorf. "I am so afraid, Silkie. What is to become of us all? I do not want to see another planet die. I do not want to witness another race robbed of its pride, its courage, its zest for life…"

Tears pricked her eyes like hot needles, and she grit her teeth. Silkie rubbed his knorfka's hand with his head, humming and frowning.

She rubbed his back and swallowed her tears and the lump in her throat.

"No." She stood up again, her resolved renewed. "This planet will not perish. I shall not allow it to and neither will my friends. As long as there is life, there is hope. We will not be destroyed. We will fight, and we will not lose our pride and give in."

Silkie hopped up on his little feet and gave Starfire a toothy grin, cheering her on with more squeaking and gurgling sounds. She smiled back at him.

"Starfire? Can I come in?"

Starfire rubbed away the tears from her eyes and turned towards the door.

"Of course, Cyborg. Please, enter."

The cybernetic teen did. "How's it goin', Star?"

"It is going fine."

"Good. Come on over to the main room. I wanna show you something."

Once they were in front of the main computer, Cyborg sat down at the keyboard and starting bringing up several screens.

"See? Look. I've been upgrading the range of the tower's surveillance systems. Our radar, our sonar, it's now all state of the art, thanks to my old friends at S.T.A.R labs. Also, I've been in contact with the people who run the observatory there, and they're technology is even more advanced than the military's, so if anything, anything at all starts happening up there in the sky. Well know about and well be ready, okay?"

Starfire's eyes sparkled. "Friend…You…did all this for me?"

"For the city, and the world, too, but yeah. Mostly you." He placed his hand on top of hers.

"Thank you."

Robin entered the room, closing his communicator.

"I don't believe this!" he cried.

Cyborg and Starfire looked up.

"Don't believe what?" Cyborg asked.

"Professor Chang has gotten out of prison. I've just received word of it."

Starfire gasped.

"Ugh, not that creepy guy," Cyborg groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Now he's out somewhere on the run."

"You think we should go look for him?"

"I'm not sure. He'd be awfully difficult to find. And we really shouldn't leave the city again. I think it's best if we just wait until we have a lead on him and go from there."

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA AA**AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH H**!"

Beast Boy dashed into the room climbed up and onto Cyborg's back at breakneck speed, shivering and panting like a steam engine.

"Beast Boy," Starfire asked, eyes widened. "What has happened?!"

"R-r-r-Raven!" he squeaked. "She's on a rampage!"

"What are you talking about?" Robin continued. "And what do you mean rampage?"

He pointed a shaking finger towards the doorway, where Raven had appeared, her hair white and her skin and eyes glowing red.

"Just hand him over to me right now, and it'll be much easier on everyone," she hissed in a voice seething with brimstone. "This is the last straw."

"Eeep!" Beast Boy cried, cowering behind Cyborg, who reached around and peeled him off, holding him up by the back of his uniform.

"BB, what'd you do this time?" Cyborg asked.

"Nothing _that _bad," he said, twiddling his thumbs.

"Just spill it," Robin commanded.

"Or perhaps Raven should be the one to do the spilling of the beans," Starfire offered.

"Maybe it'd be better if I just showed you," she replied, beckoning her friends to follow her to her room and opened the door.

Robin sniffed the air. "Eew," he said, holding his nose. "What's that smell?"

Raven walked over to the back of her room, and brought them a makeshift bird's nest with several putrid eggs rotting in it.

"OH, GROSS!" Cyborg gagged. "Are those rotten eggs? Man, why did you put rotten eggs in Raven's room?! That is so nasty!"

"I didn't know they were duds when I put them there, okay?!" Beast Boy cried, waving his hands. "I tried to hatch them in my room, but that didn't seem to work, so I thought that Raven's room would work better, since it's so stuffy."

"Why didn't you just sit on them?" Robin asked.

"I did!" said Beast Boy. "But I guess I messed up somehow, or the eggs were already goners."

"He went into my room without my permission and he put a nest of rotting eggs inside it!" Raven snarled. She took up her meditation mirror and started to shove it in his face. "And now he's going back in here with the monsters. All by himself this time!"

"Have mercy!" Beast Boy cried, clinging on to Cyborg for dear life. "Pleeeease not again!"

"Cyborg, it's Sarah. Am I getting through to you? Over."

"Please, I have still not received a full explanation as to who Sarah is," Starfire commented.

" She's Cyborg's giiirlfriend," Beast Boy said in an impish tone.

"BB, shut your yap. Yeah, Sarah, I'm here. What's up?"

"I don't know if you're getting this, but I'm getting some weird readings in the sky. I think someone, or something, is coming."

The entire team rushed back into the main room, and sure enough, Sarah was right.

"This is it guys," said Robin. "It's starting."

"Lemme see if I can get a satellite picture of them," said Cyborg, tapping a few computer keys. In a few seconds, he had one, and a picture of a space ship appeared.

Starfire let out a loud gasp as her knees gave out and she fell to the floor, her pupils dilated.

Robin hurried to her side and helped her back up.

"Starfire, are you ok?! What's wrong?"

"That is not the Citadel. That is a Psion ship."

"And they are…"Beast Boy inquired.

"The ones who gave me my sister and I our starbolts," she responded.

The Psion ship landed in the sea, and it's passengers then set up a holographic device that would disguise it as a simple Earth water ship. They weighed anchor next to an island and the small-boned, green-skinned, round-headed Psion aliens stepped onto the shore of the island. They entered the seemingly-rundown building and then the lights came on. Professor Chang ushered them to a table, where he offered them a seat and some refreshments.

"Chang, I knew that Earth was primitive, but this…this is simply barbaric. How did you manage to survive here all this time?" one of them asked.

"You see my dear fellow, it is because Earth is so primitive that I was so drawn to it. It's people know so little about their own world. I've been able to eke out a pleasant existence here by providing my services to those Earthlings who ask for them. But now I've had my fun, and I wish to share this gold mine of life that I have come across with you, my people."

"We have known of Earth from our satellites and gleaning information from the satellites of other, inferior races and planets, but the knowledge that they provide cannot compare with what can be gained from actually visiting it. So here we are. I think we are going to ourselves a bit of fun, eh, gentlemen?" the leader responded.

"Indeed," said the first mate. "A toast then, my friends. To science and to knowledge."

"To science!"

"You're saying that there's an alien ship on it's way here?"

"Yes Mr. Mayor," said Robin. "We've managed to get a look at it, and it would be best if the city security was increased at least until we know what kind of threat it is."

"Hm. I see. Do you think you'll need help from our troops?"

"It's just one ship, and it isn't that big. Besides, we now have an extended network of Titans. Your troops would probably be best used at making sure that the people are protected and evacuated, like usual," Raven continued.

"And we're also prepared to pay for any damages that happen to people or property," said Cyborg.

The mayor chuckled. "Yeah, it's a good thing you kids are all from pretty wealthy backgrounds. The city would certainly have trouble paying for everything that happens during these fights. But hey, we'd probably have waaaay more trouble trying to cover everything that would happen if you weren't around to help save us from all the crazies that come here. Besides, the people love you, and we get lots of tourism revenue from all your fans from outside Jump that drop by for a chance to see you in action or get some merchandise. So you people probably almost save us money in the long run."

"Well, duh, who wouldn't wanna see us out there kicking butt?" Beast Boy asked smugly.

"Speaking of that," said Cyborg. "Let's move, we shouldn't wait around here."

Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy all hurried down to the park outside city hall, where a little boy was crying, all alone.

"Hey," Robin began softly, kneeling down and placing a gloved hand on his back. "What's up?"

"H-h-he's g-gone!" was the shaky reply.

"Who is gone?" Starfire asked.

"Mr. Snuffles!"

"Mr. Who?"

"My cat! My big white fluffy cat is gone! And he would never run away, he'd be too scared! Someone must have kidnapped him!"

"Let's just hope it wasn't Soto," Beast Boy commented under his breath with a shudder.

"Well, we've got some really big stuff to worry about right now, but we'll keep an eye out for him, we promise. You should go home."

The kid rubbed his red, drippy nose and sniffled. "…Okay."

"Cyborg, it's Sarah again! Come in!"

"What's going on, Sar? "

"Listen up. I've hacked into the police computer system and I'm getting missing animal and stolen plant reports all over the place. Do you guys deal with any animal based criminals or do you think that the aliens could be behind this?"

"Ah…no and…" He glanced over at Starfire, who nodded. "Yes. Any place they haven't hit yet, Sarah?"

"They just went for the aquarium, so the big zoo's probably next. I'd head there if I were you."

"Got it! You heard the lady, let's go!" Cyborg cried.

The Titans all piled into the T-Car and zoomed as fast as they could to the biggest zoo in the city and ran out and got inside of it. The animals were sleeping peacefully and so far there was no sign of trouble.

"Everything looks okay here," said Beast Boy. "Now what?"

"They might have picked another way in," Robin offered. "Let's spread out and search for any signs of invaders before they steal anything else. Cyborg, can you establish a wireless connection that'll make sure we get all of Sarah's messages too in case she finds any more major reports?"

"Sure thing, man. Now I'll go hide somewhere in the big cats den."

"Good. All right, Beast Boy, head for the aquatic animals area. Starfire, I want you to go to the reptile hut. Raven, take the bird house."

"What about you?" Raven asked.

"I'm going for the _elephant_ exhibit."

Raven's eyebrows furrowed. Cyborg scratched his head. Beast Boy's head cocked to one side. Starfire made a: "Hmm?" sound.

"Eh heh heh heh, what?" Robin chuckled awkwardly. "I… like elephants, okay?"

"Uhhh…of course?" said Beast Boy.

"Titans go?" Raven offered.

"Titans go."

The five friends parted and went off in the five corners of the zoo. The reptile hut was in between the elephant exhibit and the bird house, the bird house was in between the reptile hut and the big cats den, and the aquatic animals were in between the elephant exhibit and the big cats den.

Robin climbed up the back wall of the exhibit and found a pitch black place on top of it and under a tree where he could see everything. He took out his new multiple setting binoculars from his utility belt and started scanning the area. It was because of this that he failed to notice a small green gecko that crawled up the wall beside him.

"See anything yet, Robin?" Beast Boy asked, having shifted back into human form.

"Wha-Beast Boy, what are you doing?! Get back to your post!" Robin whispered harshly.

"Dude, animals have senses that are like a bajillion times ours. If anything was up, they'd know, and they'd let us know. But so far, everything's fine. So I think we should head back to the city and start looking for clues where animals and plants have been stolen and then go from there."

"I considered that too, Beast Boy. But whatever it is has already avoided the police a lot of times. So I say it's best we wait here and then ambush them."

"Well…all right. Good point, I guess. Look, a baby elephant!"

Beast Boy pointed to a tiny baby elephant who was fast asleep under her mother's trunk, in the farthest corner of the exhibit.

"Ohh, it's so cute!" Robin chirped, eyes sparkling underneath his mask. "It looks like it was only just born and do you…you…you are never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Nooo way," Beast Boy responded with a cackle, thumping Robin on the back.

Robin sighed and groaned. "Great."

Suddenly the elephant's ears perked up and its eyes opened, wide awake. Some form of glue-like material was slapped over its mouth, and it began to be dragged away by some unseen menace.

"The alien must be cloaking himself somehow," Robin commented. "Let's go!"

The Teen Wonder shot out a line that hooked onto a rafter that was supporting a wooden awning and swung into the pit and the Shapeshifter Supreme turned into a peregrine falcon and dove down as fast as he could. Meanwhile, the little elephant's mother wrapped her trunk around her baby's and pulled her away from whatever it was that had attacked her. The alien retaliated by firing more of the dark putty at the mother, covering her eyes, nostrils, and mouth, and causing her to get stuck to the ground beneath her. She let out a muffled cry of distress and pain.

"Oh no, you don't!" Robin growled. He bent down to scoop up a handful of mud and the invisible creature standing behind the baby elephant, which stuck to it and revealed its location.

"Raah!" Robin yelled, running at the attacker and striking at it with his fists, preventing it from striking back. As this was going on, Beast Boy had changed into a pterodactyl and grasped onto the alien, and Robin and flown back up and out to get them away from the angry elephants.

He set them both down and Robin pinned the invisible alien against the wall.

"Show yourself!" Robin roared. "What are you?"

The four feet tall alien with scales the darkest possible shade of green, coughed and switched off its cloaking device. When it spoke, it's voice sounded tinny and fake, and it was clearly using some kind of translator to communicate.

"At last, an Earthling,"

"Why are you stealing animals?" Beast Boy interrogated. "What are you doing with them?"

"Knowledge is power, little maggot," the Psion replied. "Those with the most knowledge and the best knowledge can and will rule all. We are taking samples of species so that we may study them and glean all the information that we can from them."

"But are you doing it this way?" Robin asked.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Beast Boy added. "Dude, you don't have to hurt animals to learn about them."

"Well it appears that we disagree on a few things. Unsurprising, as we Psions are so infinitely superior to you. We don't trust any of your data on your planet. So we shall have to gather our own."

"Well tough luck, creepo. You're not gonna get it," Beast Boy snarled.

"Raven calling Robin!"

"Here Beast Boy, you hold him," Robin commanded, taking out his communicator after releasing his prisoner.

"What's going on, Raven?"

"I think something's coming. The birds didn't really care when I came in, but now they're going crazy."

The Azarathian's voice was difficult to hear amidst the din of squawking birds and flapping wings.

"Okay, Raven. We'll be there as soon as we can, just call the Cyborg and Starfire."

The Teen Wonder took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the alien's hands behind him and to the bar of an empty cage and he ran off with his teammate in the direction of the bird house. There they met up with Starfire and Cyborg, who joined them as they ran inside the building together.

"All right, now where's-" Cyborg began.

"Zinthos!"

With that cry, a Psion was thrown out of a doorway, knocked back by a wooden crate that Raven had thrown at it.

The other Titans ran inside and Starfire lit up the area with a starbolt that shone in her hand. A Psion saw her there and fired a laser gun aimed at Cyborg's middle, which sent him crashing back to the wall. Robin threw a birdarang at the shooter and knocked the weapon out of his hand. Starfire then flew up and shot several starbolts at him, throwing him to the ground. Meanwhile, Beast Boy transformed into a bull and charged at the other Psion in the room as he was occupying himself with opening a bird cage and sent him to Cyborg, who hastily recovered and easily pinned the two intruders to his chest with his massive arms.

Robin found the light switch in the room and switched it on before he went over to the aliens. They looked up at Starfire, who stared down at them.

One them gave her a twisted smile. "Salutations, Koriand'r. It has been a while hasn't it? My, how you've grown."

"Leave this planet now, Psion, or you will suffer the consequences!" she cried, her eyes blazing green. "I will _not_ see it suffer under your cruelty!"

"Cruelty? Is that what you call it? Feh. Still so very naïve. There is no good. There is no evil. There is no kindness. There is no cruelty. All of that is malleable, untrue subjectivity. There is only hard, objective fact." "Our people discovered this long ago, and that is what we dedicate all of our lives to the pursuit of."

Professor Chang entered the room having just spoken those very words.

"Professor Chang?!" Robin exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Why are you working with the Psions?"

"Tsk tsk tsk. Why does that surprise you, boy? It shouldn't. Especially considering…I _am_ one."

All the Titans were bewildered to hear this.

"A little plastic surgery here, a touch genetic splicing there, and I was able to blend in rather well on this planet. But now I've had my fill of it, and I wish to return to my people and help give them the knowledge that they desire and deserve to possess."

"Why are you here, Koriand'r? The Gordanians and the Citadel have set Tamaran free, and you are no longer obligated to be away from the planet of your birth and your people. Why remain here? You don't belong. And you never will. You are a Tamaranean, and you can never be an Earthling."

"I am Tamaranean by blood, and while I do not feel ashamed of that, Earth is my dwelling now. I belong here. And nothing that you say will make me think otherwise."

Robin smiled as he stood behind her.

"Very cute, sister. Very cute."

One of the doors in the exhibit was blasted open with a purple starbolt, revealing Blackfire to be standing in the entrance.

"Long time, no see, kiddies. Can't say it was long enough, but oh well." She clapped her hands loudly. "C'mon in boys and girls," the ex-empress called.

A small group of heavily armed and armored Psions entered and closed the door behind them. One of the invaders threw down a gas grenade that filled the entire room with foul-smelling smoke. Blackfire put on a little air filter that she had been holding in her hand as the rest of the Titans quickly succumbed to it's powers and became unconscious.

When they awoke, Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven found themselves imprisoned on the alien ship.

Beast Boy's ankles and wrists were cuffed together in an airtight pod and he was standing up. Cyborg and Robin were cuffed to tables that were raised upright, and the cuffs covered their hands and feet as well. Starfire was in a similar prison but she was across from them and had a wired band around her head. Raven was also in a pod like Beast Boy's and was similarly restrained, but there was an anesthesia mask on her face that was keeping her asleep.

Beast Boy grit his teeth and strained against his bonds. "I…I can't transform. I'm…too tired! Ugh…it-it hurts!"

Cyborg saw that his best friend was in trouble, and he tried to move and strain against his bonds, but he also found that he was so exhausted it was difficult to keep his eyes focused or even open. He was also in serious discomfort. Not in agony, but that coupled with the crippling exhaustion was more than enough to keep him down and prevent him from using his powers. Robin and Starfire also found themselves in the same situation, in pain and unable to work up enough energy to do anything. Robin and Cyborg also were wearing headgear that was keeping their jaws from moving and preventing them from speaking.

"Comfy, sweeties?" Blackfire asked in a sardonic tone as she sauntered in again. "You each have a prison that stops you from fighting. I told the Psions how to construct them just right to keep you there. Now, wasn't that sweet of me?"

"It certainly was," stated one of the Psions. "And now that we finally have you under our control, we can at last begin our research and study of the Earthlings themselves."

"Blackfire…why?" Starfire asked.

The raven-haired Tamaranean frowned and glared at her sister. "Remember when I said: 'I won't forget this'? Well, I didn't. You banished me from my world and took away everything I'd ever wanted. So now you're gonna get it, little sister. You, your friends, and this sorry excuse for a planet."

"Komand'r and Chang both instructed that this place would be good to begin our research, and we came to believe that it was as good a place as any. We have now collected plants, animals, and minerals from this planet and now finally humans. And now we are going to learn all and everything we can about you."

Starfire strained against her own bonds with all her might and in every way she could think of, howling and grunting. She had gained her own powers as a result of the Psions' amoral experiments. She remembered their needles, their flames, their rays, their wires and tubes being stuck into her and shoved down her throat, their helmets, their tanks, their masks, their scalpels, their forceps, their chains, their shocks, and their ice-cold hands. Poking and prodding and prying and pulling at her.

"Nooo!" she shrieked. "Blackfire, Please! Do not subject them to this!"

"Nah, I think I will," said Blackfire, striding over to her and digging her sharp fingernails underneath Starfire's jaw, forcing her head back and up. "You know, I spent a pretty good amount of time wondering how I was going to get my revenge on you for what you did, but then I remembered that you are so spineless and so weak, that you don't think twice before handing yourself over or letting other people just step all over you. So then it occurred to me: "why bother tormenting you personally, when I could just cause you much greater suffering by making you watch your stupid little friends get used as their guinea pigs?"

One Psion walked over to the other four Titans.

"Now then, who shall we start with?" he laid his hand on Raven's pod, where she remained in slumber. "Her, perhaps? Studying a magical being and learning to comprehend their abilities and ways is always a challenge, but such a delightful one. Especially when one finds ways to remind them of their limits or even reveal them."

"You will not harm Raven!" Starfire yelled. "If you so much as lay one finger on her I shall-"

"Ah ah ah," Blackfire began, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Remember, she's what's called a metahuman. You won't fully be able to understand her until you have someone to compare her to. Her and all the others. Someone completely 100%... human."

The alien powerhouse's breath caught in her throat and she choked. _No_. _Not him_. _Please not him_.

Blackfire smirked back at her sister yet again as she waltzed over to Robin and took his face in her hands.

"_This_ is the all-human one. And he's one great specimen. He's kind of cute, too. In fact, I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I just never got the chance…until right now." Without warning, Komand'r bent down and forced her lips on Robin's, devouring them ferociously. "Mmmm…" she moaned as she kissed the Boy Wonder, who could only scowl, squeeze his eyes shut, let out muffled, angry groans of protest, and make desperate attempts to open his mouth in order to bite her or shake his head.

When at last she pulled away, Blackfire licked her lips like a panthress that had just brought down her kill. "Yes, he's prime material for you. So take him and start working on him. Oh, and since he's your way of telling what humans and metahumans are in this experiment, don't hold back. Do everything and anything no matter how much he or anyone else begs for mercy."

"Don't we always?"

Beast Boy and Cyborg's eyes widened in fear for their friend as they resumed their struggles to break free of their prisons and help him. They too, did all they could, but nothing was enough. The cold, remorseless aliens went over to Robin and pulled a lever, lowering the table he was strapped to down to the floor and then pushing it off into another room.

"NO! NO! NOOO!" Starfire screamed, hot tears of fury and terror cascading from her eyes. "ROBIIIIIIIN!"

"Gracious, Koriand'r, must you screech like that? Our experiments won't destroy him. Or at least, not _intentionally_."

"Let him go!" she sobbed. "Please!"

"No, I don't think we will, at least not yet."

Robin tried his best to look at her again, to some how communicate to her and reassure her that he was going to be okay, but he couldn't.

The other Titans could not see what was going on, but they could hear Robin's occasional cries and screams (which he tried to keep to a minimum to keep the Psions from thinking he was weak and his friends from worrying about him too much). Beast Boy he looked away and squeezed his eyes and ears shut as tightly as he possibly could. Cyborg was shaking and gnashing his teeth, hating the invading aliens and how powerless he felt. But all of these sounds were causing Starfire to go half-insane. She wailed and struggled and sobbed even louder than Robin.

"Cyborg? Cyborg! Answer me!" Sarah Simms leaned back in her chair at the lab and sighed in frustration and worry. "If he's not answering, something terrible must have happened," she thought. "I've got to get help. The police is stretched too thin enough as it is…Maybe I can find some way to contact the other Titans?" To do that, she realized, she would need to access their communications network and send out an SOS. Cyborg had given her the ability to contact him, but unbeknownst to the other Titans, he had also given her the numbers and codes to contact the other Titans in case she couldn't get to him and needed help.

"Here goes nothing." Sarah swallowed and began to enter the codes that she had in her private files and send out the SOS. "Uh, attention, Teen Titans. My name is Sarah Simms, and I am a friend of Cyborg's. I have every reason to believe that he, Robin, Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy are in grave danger, and if you are able to get here to Jump City quickly, please do so immediately and contact me for further instructions, information, and directions on how to find them. Er…that is all."

"So tell me, how do you like the Psions' ether? It keeps you in a constant state of exhaustion, yet it won't let you fall asleep. In other words, there's no way you're getting out of this anytime soon, so I'd suggest you make yourselves comfortable until the Psions get around to studying you. All of you."

"Blackfire, you…you are the lowest form of scum ever to-" Starfire shouted.

"Call me what you want, Starfire, but the fact of the matter is that I've finally won. You're all powerless, and I'm holding all the cars. In other words, you may have won some of our little battles, but I've won the war."

"That is what you think!"

One of the massive double doors was pried apart by two pairs of very strong hands: one belonging to Red Star and the other to Pantha. Standing in the doorway in between them was also Herald, Speedy and Argent.

"Looks like the war's not even close to over yet," said Argent.

"Don't just stand there!" Blackfire barked to the few Psions in the room that had not gone to watch Robin's examination. "Seize them!"

"Titans, together!" Red Star commanded.

The moment Argent saw the Psions take aim at them with their laser guns, she spread her red plasma energy into a wide shield in front of herself and all her comrades, blocking their fire.

"Pantha! Gimme a boost!" Speedy cried.

"Right," she responded, crossing her arms.

Speedy jumped up onto them and loaded several arrows onto his bow string before Pantha launched him into the air above the shield. When he let them fly, they became boxing glove arrows that he aimed at the aliens. They first attempted to dodge them, but they soon found that the arrows were chasing them, and they knocked them flat.

"Whoa. You actually combined the heat-seeking arrows with the boxing glove arrows?" Herald asked.

"Yes, I did," Speedy replied.

"Nice, man!"

"Thanks."

Red Star leapt over Argent's shield and started to pummel the remaining aliens, ducking their attacks and knocking one down again with a heavy punch in the gut. Four of them jumped onto his back, holding onto his arms and legs, tripping him in an attempt to keep him from moving, but Pantha quickly ran to his aid and plucked them off, tossing them away and at the walls, using her "claws" on the back of another's head and then sending him down. She then reached down and hauled Red Star to his feet.

"Thank you," he said, smiling. "You fight very well."

"As do you."

Blackfire growled and leapt into flight, flaring up her starbolts and firing one at Herald, which hit him square in the chest. It sent him skidding backwards, but he grit his teeth through the pain and straightened up, creating a portal that Blackfire flew straight into before she had time to fly below it. He then closed it and went back into action.

Argent bent down, crossing her arms in front of her and closing her eyes, deep in focus. When he stood up straight again and spread her arms wide, she used them to create four giant hands that pinned the Psions to the wall.

"Hurry!" she cried. "I can't hold them forever. Use this time to get the Titans free!"

"You cannot free them, our cages are indestructible!" one Psion barked, grunting against the energy that bound him.

"Is that a challenge?" Pantha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I believe so," Red Star added. He laced his fingers together and swung his hands first back and then into Beast Boy's pod. "Raaaah!" he yelled. Then he swung again, and again and again. Cracking it more and more until it finally shattered. Then he stepped inside and pried open the headgear and restraints from Beast Boy as gently as he could. Red Star supported Beast Boy as he opened his eyes and ears and rubbed his wrists and ankles.

"You are okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks, dude."

"You are most welcome."

Pantha did the same to Cyborg in his pod and set him free.

"Did they harm you?"

"Not really. I'm a little groggy, but I can shake it off."

Herald walked up to Argent.

"Here, Argent. I'll get rid of them, you go help Starfire and I'll get Raven."

"Gotcha."

Herald opened up another portal behind the Psions that Argent had trapped and knocked them back into it with a sweeping kick just after she caused the large hands to dissipate. Pantha made quick work of getting Raven's pod and restraints open and Herald caught her as she fell forward and slowly helped her regain consciousness.

"H-Herald?"

"Mm-hm. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I just need a little while to get my strength back. What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later. Come on."

Argent dashed over to Starfire and created a plasma key that would unlock Starfire's bonds and the band on her head. She then grasped her friend around the shoulders.

"You okay, babe?" Argent asked.

"Hey, where's Robin?" Speedy continued.

Starfire panted and rested for a minute or two. Then her hands curled into fists and her eyes glowed the brightest green and she flew up in the air.

"Hurry! Robin is in danger! If we do not get to him, he will not survive!"

Cyborg hurried to catch up with her.

"Starfire, he's this way," he cried, pointing left. "I'm tracking his heartbeat!"

Beast Boy looked around. "He's this way? But there's no open door!"

"Then we will make one," Red Star commanded, cracking his knuckles.

He, Cyborg, and Pantha all turned a bit so that their shoulders were facing the wall. Beast Boy shifted shape into a triceratops and prepared to charge. Argent stood to the side and used her energy to create a wrecking ball that attached to the ceiling.

"On the count of three-" Red Star shouted.

"Three!" Pantha yelled, beginning the charge. She, Red Star, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Argent's wrecking ball completely totaled the wall in front of them. The nine Titans ran out through the giant hole that they had created. The room that they found themselves in was a giant circle. There was one platform that went all the way around the room and they were standing on it. They dashed over to the railing and leaned over, looking down. The Psions stepped away from the table that they were bent over and looked up, mouths agape in shock, showing everyone what had been occurring in the room. Starfire gasped, tears coming to her eyes once again.

There he was.

Robin's shirt had been slashed open down the middle and he had been cut open, stitched shut, bruised, jabbed, stabbed, scratched given lacerations, burned, shocked, and had had ribs, fingers, and toes broken. His skin was deathly pale and discolored, save for the black, blue and purple patches on his skin, red, swollen lumps here and there, and the streaks of dried and fresh blood. Robin's gloves and boots were also missing and there was a trail of small holes on his arms, where the Psions had stuck needles into him to take samples of blood and plasma. His eyes were closed, his mouth hung slightly open, and no part of him was moving.

Starfire tore the railing in front of her apart as if it were made of paper, and she dove down, shrieking like a mountain lion. The emerald energy that blazed in her eyes was overflowing and they almost seemed to be on fire themselves. Instead of being round, like they normally were, her starbolts had also become asymmetrical and she seemed to be holding flames in her hands. Starfire was a gentle soul, but now she only wanted to kill, to destroy. Raven's eyes were also glowing red, and she was just barely able to contain her demonic nature from overtaking her, but she dove after Starfire, along with Beast Boy, who had become a pterodactyl again and gripped Cyborg in his claws. Argent created a red platform beneath herself and the Titans who could not fly, and lowered them all down as fast as she could. Starfire blasted her burning starbolts at the Psions, burning large holes in their armor. She landed on the table where Robin was lying down on, standing in front of him.

"You will not touch him again!" she snarled at the top of her voice.

Speedy loaded a freeze arrow onto his bow and fired it at group of Psions. Another snuck up behind him and shoved a taser into the small of his back, giving him a shock of about a hundred volts. He staggered, too weak to fire another arrow, but before they could shock him again, Argent came to his aid and sandwiched the attacker between two more of her hands and threw him into a row of computers.

Cyborg was also attacked with a taser, which damaged him a great deal, but he still managed to strike back with his finger laser, and send his attacker running into Pantha's claws.

"Everyone! Send them here! Let's trap them all!" Argent called, creating a large dome in which she had trapped the Psion that she had in her "hands." The Titans were not holding anything back, and Raven, Red Star, Starfire, Speedy, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Pantha on full-out offense and rounded up every Psion, pushing through the pain of their attempts to attack them back, and threw them into a hole that Herald opened and used to dump them all into Argent's impenetrable dome.

"There could be more," said Starfire. "We must be sure to capture them all before they can escape and hurt anyone else."

Beast Boy nodded. "C'mon, Cy. Let's go!" He, Cyborg, Pantha and Herald ran off in search of more aliens.

"Oh man, we've gotta get Robin out of here like, now!" Speedy cried, picking Robin up as gently as he could, after he removed the various needles and tubes that were still stuck inside of him. "He's breathing, but he's not moving!"

Starfire and Raven hurried over to their sides. Starfire wanted to touch him, to grab him away from Speedy, shield from everyone and everything and never let him go, but she remembered all the times when she had accidentally hurt him with her alien strength. She realized with a shudder that for the first time, she was _afraid _to touch him. Robin, her best friend, and her friend who is a boy. She felt her strength, her flight, and her starbolts leaving her.

"Raven, are you able to take us to a hospital? I will not be of use here. My powers will no longer be of assistance."

"I'll try," she answered. "It'll take a lot out of me, but I'll try."

"Cyborg calling Raven!"

Raven flipped open her communicator.

"Raven, take Robin to S.T.A.R labs. You'll have a better chance of getting him attention fast, there. Do you know the way?

"Yeah, I know where that is. It's right near the library."

"Go! Hurry! I'll tell Sarah to get ready!"

Raven enveloped them all in her soul-self and the great black bird took flight and flew out through the ship. Sarah met them at the door.

"Cyborg told me you were on your way and I alerted some of the staff we have on call. Sometimes if the hospital has a super, super tough case, they send the patient here. So we always have some doctors on call. Come on, we can start helping him upstairs."

She led the Titans into the elevator and Speedy carried Robin down to one of the medical operating rooms where Sarah led them. Some more doctors came out of the room, dressed in scrubs and ready to operate if they had to, like Sarah was.

"Lay him down on the stretcher!"

Speedy put Robin down carefully and the doctors took him away.

"Sarah, can I come in with you?" Raven asked.

The young intern turned back to look at her.

"I have healing powers. Let me help!"

"I guess so. Just go clean up over there. And then come in. I'm sure that he could use your help."

Raven did. And Starfire slumped against the wall, burying her face in her hands. Speedy sat down beside her, exhausted.

"We got the call from Sarah. She proved to us that she knew Cyborg so then Herald went around and got everyone who was able to help to come to where you were. Good thing we did, huh? Looks like everything's gonna be fine."

No answer.

"Starfire…it's gonna be okay. Really." He laid a hand on her shoulder. But she still had no reaction to him, so he got up and took out his communicator.

"Status update?" he asked to his friends still on the ship.

"Almost done," Argent reported. "My dome is getting pretty full, and I can hear the sounds of fighting getting fewer and farther between."

The last room that the remaining Titans found was another large laboratory. In it were all the stolen animals and plants that the Psions were so absorbed in studying and experimenting on. The Titans had an easy time catching and defeating the aliens that dared challenge them, for they had not come adequately prepared for battle, and the Titans were stronger, taller, and more experienced in battle. Beast Boy had disguised himself as a tiny spider and was trying to find the best place for the Titans to strike. But when his eight eyes caught sight of the Psions shaving a whimpering and crying Mr. Snuffles on a work table, he lost all composure.

"STOOOP!" he yelled, jumping off the wall before he turned into an eagle and dive-bombed them. Pantha and Red Star also saw the animals in cages who had been treated in similarly merciless ways and stormed into action.

"I always aim to treat my opponents with respect and with honor," Pantha growled. "But if you harm the weak and helpless, I will not show you any mercy!"

Several Psions attempted to run away from her but she leapt up and over them, flooring them all with a right hook, then body slamming them all.

"I should warn you. She and I are like-minded," Red Star hissed. He then joined Pantha in her assault in addition to tearing apart the laboratory and their equipment.

"Noo!" one of the aliens cried. "Our equipment! Our data! Our precious data!"

Beast Boy hoisted him up by his collar. "It's gone. But you aren't going anywhere."

The remaining Psions were rounded up and brought to prison. The policemen and women insisted on taking charge of returning the stolen animals and plants. So the rest of the Titans finally joined Starfire, Raven, Speedy, and Robin at S.T.A.R labs.

"How is he?" Cyborg asked.

"Still waiting to hear," Speedy answered. He walked up to his teammate and whispered. "I think you should say something to Starfire. She's really down."

Starfire's face was still hidden by her hands. Her knees and ankles were kept as close as possible to the rest of her body. She wanted to make herself as small as she possibly could. She would have left the building, but she couldn't leave Robin, especially without knowing what was going to happen.

"Star, you okay?" Cyborg asked, gently pulling her hands away from her face so that she was looking at him.

"This is all my fault," she replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"My sister targeted Robin and everyone else because of me. Now he may not even survive. And she did all that just to torment me."

"Starfire, Robin's in good hands," Beast Boy said. "And he would never blame you for that. None of us do."

Starfire turned to Herald.

"Herald, where is my sister?" she asked.

"I put her all the way out to Neptune."

"Uh-oh. That means she'll be back soon, right? I mean, you Tamaraneans can fly at the speed of light, right?" Argent inquired.

"Perhaps," Starfire answered. "It is not an ability we can use whenever we like, especially in my sister's case. She is…not normal among our kind."

Starfire saw that they all wanted her to continue speaking. So she did.

"My sister has always disliked me. There was a time when we were friends, but even underneath that, there was hatred for me. You see, Blackfire was born a cripple by our standards. She was originally unable to fly. So when our parents and Galfore discovered that I was born able to fly, I was placed ahead of her in line of succession to the throne. And she loathed me for that. It is part of the reason why she had me given up as a prize to the Citadel."

_Flashback_

"_Before you are to be delivered to the Citadel, Princess, Lord Damyn has instructed that you be given to the Psions first. They will study your species in excruciating detail. And then you will the Citadel will have you for the rest of your days."_

_The Psions took the terrified princess into their laboratories and did all that they pleased with her. Her screams and tears and begging for mercy meant nothing to them. _

"_Your species has the uncanny ability to absorb radiation. You see, my dear, what we wish to learn right now is the extent of your ability. We will bombard you with different elements, radiation, and energies that we have gathered from all across the universe and then we will see how your body reacts to them. Oh, no need to shake and shiver, little creature, you will not be alone in this experiment. Bring her in."_

_Blackfire was soon hooked up to the same machine that Starfire was._

"_Sister, why are you here?"_

"_Wasn't that nice of us? A rogue bounty hunter found her roaming the galaxy and captured her, so we bought her off of him."_

_Blackfire let out an angry yell. "I will get out of this! And I'll destroy you all! I SWEAR IT!"_

"_Will you? To be quite honest, I'm not even so sure that you will survive this experiment. Ah, no matter. Begin!"_

_The experiment began and the two sisters felt the energies and rays coursing through them and blasting them from every direction and every angle in every part of their bodies. At first it was excruciating, but then they began to feel something…else. They grew adapted to it, and something seemed to settle inside of them, it felt as though a fire had been lit in their bodies and they reveled in this newfound strength and power. When Starfire discovered that she could control it, she focused it all into her hands, her fingertips. And there it pooled and grew and grew until it burst in a green bolt of light and energy, shattering the cuffs that restrained her. Blackfire saw what she had done and hastily did the same. Starfire grasped her sister's hand to pull her up, as she had always done, but Blackfire soon noticed another power within her._

"_Starfire, look!" she cried in a jubilant tone. "I can fly! I can finally fly! Yes!"_

_One Psion from behind the glass enclosure turned to another and said: "I certainly did not forsee this, did you?"_

"_No, colleague, I did not. Hurry, we must restrain them, release the sleep gas, and we will return Starfire to the Gordanians before she can harm us."_

_Starfire and Blackfire heard this and searched desperately for a way out, banging on the glass and firing blasts of green and purple energy at it, but they were quickly overpowered by the airborne tranquilizers. For a moment, the two sisters forgot everything except for the fact that they were sisters and clung to each other as they fell and their consciousnesses faded. They remained asleep when Blackfire was torn from Starfire's arms and dragged away.  
><em>

_End Flashback_

"What did they do with Blackfire?" Red Star asked.

"She told me that they ejected her into space and left her behind. When we were still on speaking terms, of course."

"Why were you ever on speaking terms with her after what she did to you?" Cyborg asked.

"I do not want to hate her, Cyborg. I do not wish to hate anyone. Especially not my sister. I forgave her for using me because I knew that it was partially to save our people, and I wanted to still be the friends that we were before Tamaran lost the war. I wanted that so badly. But now, she…she can never be my sister again. Not after what she has done now. And she will return. She cannot fly as fast as me or travel at light speed for as much as I can, but she will be back. And when she does, I will settle things with her. Once and for all."

* * *

><p>AN: All right folks, next I think I'm going to jump back to the SladeRed X/Jericho story. Because I think that that needs to be finished before the actual "war" happens. Sorry to be so confusing. D:. But if you are still reading and have stuck with me for this long, thank you and I hope that I won't let you down.-

Shadow


	8. Episode Eight Save Our Planet Prologue

I know, I know, I'm horrible, and I'm really sorry you guys had to wait so long for this. But I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Thanks again, and stay awesome! And please review, no matter how short!

Shadow.

* * *

><p>Whenever one of the doctors called her over to the operating table, Raven stepped forward and laid her healing hands on her friend.<p>

"Please get better, Robin," she whispered as if she were praying. "Please get better."

Meanwhile, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire were seated in the small lounge area outside of the room where Robin was getting worked on by the S.T.A.R labs medical team. Starfire was fidgeting continually in her seat and kept her eyes focused on her hands, which she couldn't stop wringing.

"Hey, Star, do you wanna come play cards with us?" Beast Boy asked, forcing a smile. "It might help take your mind off well, y'know-"

She looked up at him, her eyes just a bit misty, giving him an answer. He turned back to his cards. "Uh…do you have any nines?"

"Go fish," Cyborg answered.

Raven opened the door, stumbled over to the rest of the Titans and flopped down in a chair next to Cyborg, her hood off her head and her eyes closed.

Starfire immediately hopped up and flew over to Raven. "Raven, how is Robin?"

"I don't really know, but I've done all I can," she replied. The mistress of magic turned to Cyborg. "Can you go get me some tea? Like jasmine or chamomile?"

"Yeah, no problem. I'm gonna get myself a soda, too. Anybody else want anything?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Chocolate soymilk!" Beast Boy said, raising his hand.

"You got it. How bout you, Star?"

Starfire looked away. "I am not thirsty, thank you."

Cyborg sighed. "Come on, Starfire, it might make you feel better. You really should at least get something to-"

"Did you not hear me? I said I am not thirsty!" she snapped.

"Whoa, chill out, Starfire. Don't get mad at him!" said Beast Boy.

Starfire gave an apologetic look. "Forgive me. I am…on the edge."

"No worries. You sure you don't want anything? No snacks, no drinks?"

She nodded and Cyborg and Beast Boy headed off for the vending machines. A few minutes later, they came back with their drinks, a bag of crispy potato chips, and a bottle of water for Starfire just in case.

"Did all the others go home?" Raven inquired, gratefully accepting her beverage.

"Uh-huh," said Cyborg. "I told them that I'd keep em' posted about everything."

"Good. We'll need all the help we can get from here on out. I have a feeling we're gonna be seeing more Psions in the near future."

"Have you thought about asking your friend Lilith to join?" Beast Boy asked through a mouthful of chips. "You know, from the library?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to drag civilians into this. And as of now, that's all she is."

"Do you guys think I should talk to the Doom Patrol? Maybe they'd be willing to help us out. Raven's right about us needing all the help we can get."

"Definitely," Cyborg stated. "And maybe when Robin gets better we can ask him, Speedy, Kid Flash and Aqualad to talk the Justice League and see if they'll have any members to spare. That Gordanian we talked to a while ago said that they're gonna bring an all-out war on Earth."

"Yeah. We thought we could handle Trigon and the Brotherhood without having to bug anyone else, but we barely made it out of those alive. Plus those things were really only affecting us at first, but those aliens are gonna strike people all over the world."

"That's another thing we've gotta do. Start helping the honoraries organize themselves into teams. And then ask them if they have any other people who they know that can help."

Several hours later the door of the operating room opened up and Sarah stepped out with a tall African-American woman who was also dressed in scrubs.

"You did a good job following my directions this time, Sarah. Now go get some rest. You look like you're about to keel over."

"Thanks Doctor Charles. You've got that right," said Sarah with a huge yawn.

"Doctor Charles, is everything okay in there?" Cyborg asked.

"Victor, I've told you, you really can call me Sarah. We've known for long enough haven't we?"

"There's two Sarah's?" Beast Boy said in a confused tone. "And whoa, your name is Victor? Ha ha! Victor…Aw man. I really can't make fun of that, can I?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way, Beast Boy," Sarah replied, chuckling. "How about calling him Vicky?"

"Yes! Thank you, doc," Beast Boy said with another laugh.

"Shut up, _Garfield_," Cyborg quipped.

"Yeah, _Garfield_. Don't make fun of other people's names," Raven added.

Beast Boy groaned and slumped down.

Starfire flew over them all and landed in front of Doctor Charles.

"Please, how is Robin?" she asked.

"His condition has stabilized," the doctor said with a comforting smile. "He'll need a ton of rest, but he's going to be all right for now, at least. We'll check up on him again in the morning if our machines don't notify us that anything is wrong."

"Yes!" Cyborg exclaimed, punching the air.

"Dude, that's awesome!" Beast Boy cried.

"Thank you so much for all your help," said Raven.

"Can we go in and talk to him now?" Cyborg asked.

"Not now. He's sleeping and he needs his rest. It's best if we wait until he wakes up on his own. Why don't you folks go back to your tower? I'll call when he's ready for visitors, all right?"

"Alright. You heard the lady, y'all. Let's get out of here," said Cyborg.

The Titans all piled into their car without Robin and drove home.

It was very, very late now, and the janitor was finally going about his rounds in the medical ward of STAR labs. Outside of Robin's room he noticed a shadowy figure in an area that was not well lit.

"Hey!" he cried. "Visiting hours are over. Get out of-"

The man's eyes widened as he realized who he was dealing with.

"Is…is everything okay?

The figure nodded.

"Oh…then are you here to visit somebody?"

Another nod.

"Okay… I guess we can make an exception for you. Go right on in. Heh, my lips are sealed."

The figure entered Robin's room and stared at the sleeping boy. He had curled himself up into a little ball, his arms, which looked very tender, were resting on the pillow by his head. His eyes scanned the room, trying to think of a way to make the boy more comfortable without having to wake him up. He noticed that the air had taken on a rather pungent smell due to the disinfectant and various medicines that had been used during Robin's myriad treatments. So he walked over to the window and opened it halfway, letting in some fresh air. A chilly breeze came in through the opening and Robin shivered as it blew over his body. The figure noticed this and bent over the Boy Wonder, pulling a soft, thin blanket over him to keep him warm enough. The shivering stopped, but then his face and body began to twitch, his breathing grew heavier, and muffled whispers came out of his mouth that sounded like: "Stop…leave us alone…let me go…stop…please…stop!" He was obviously having some kind of nightmare. The figure bent down again and started to rub Robin's arm and shoulder gently, not wanting to wake him. He then gave his shoulder a light squeeze, and whispered very softly: "I'm here. It's okay." Robin relaxed once more and slept peacefully again, looking like a little kid again.

The figure smiled and smoothed Robin's hair, keeping it out of his face. He then heard and saw Robin beginning to show signs of waking up.

The figure decided that it was best for him to leave now. He scribbled something on the notepad on Robin's bedside table and left the room through the open window just before the security guards could catch him.

"There was intruder here and you didn't notify us?!" one of them asked harshly after they closed the door again.

"B-but you guys had dozed off while watching the cameras. You screwed up too!" the janitor said.

"That doesn't matter!" the guard snapped, still whispering. "What matters is that you let an intruder into a patient's room! You could darn well be fired for that."

"But it was the Batman!" he cried. "How the heck was I supposed to say no to Batman?!"

The morning after the next, Dr. Charles called the Titans to say that Robin was ready for visitors and they promptly drove back to the labs.

"Try not to wake him up until he fully comes around on his own. He's still only semi-conscious now and it's best not to rush this kind of thing."

Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven entered the room with Starfire behind them. Robin was slumbering peacefully in a white bed, dressed in a green hospital gown, his mask still on his face, which had regained almost all of its' proper coloring, thanks to Raven. A cast was on his leg this time, with several other thick bandages on his arms and an IV tube stuck into one of his hands, giving him medicine. Hidden by the gown were several other bandages that covered the burns, bruises and rows of stitches, helping them heal.

The Titans stood there silently for several minutes before Robin at last began to stir and his eyes slowly fluttered open beneath his mask. He started to try sitting up, but he realized that he didn't have to because he was already propped up by the bed.

"Hey guys," he said in a quiet voice.

"How are you feeling, man?" Cyborg asked softly.

"Like I've never felt before," he answered. "But I've been worse."

They were all staring intently at him, clearly worried.

"I'm gonna be okay, everyone. None of this stuff is permanent except for the scars."

"Hey, do you feel any…different?" Beast Boy asked, leaning in close and lifting up his arms and feet while studying him intently.

Robin quirked an eyebrow. "Um…not really..."

"Try lifting that pen with your mind. You might have telekinesis now."

"What?" Robin asked.

"Dude, don't you ever read comic books or watch sci-fi movies? Every time someone gets experimented on they get superpowers. Come on, do something cool!"

Cyborg slapped his forehead. Raven used her magic to grab the shapeshifter and fling him against the wall on the other side of the room with a loud crash and a yelp.

"I'm really glad you're okay," the enchantress said.

"Thanks, Raven."

"Pardon me, but would all of you exit the room, please? I wish to speak with Robin by myself," Starfire announced.

Raven, and Beast Boy stared at her for a moment, but Cyborg quickly took hold of Raven and Beast Boy's shoulders and steered them out of the room, granting Starfire her request.

"Star, come on, have a seat on the bed."

She sat down beside Robin, taking care to avoid potentially damaging him in any way.

"So, what happened while I was out?"

"The Psions were captured and placed in jail with the help of Speedy, Red Star, Pantha, Herald and Argent. And all of the stolen plants and animals were returned to the places where they belong."

"Good. And how about Blackfire?"

"Herald sent her far into space. But she will be back."

"Hm. Do you think she'll bring back more of her allies?"

"I believe that she will."

"Okay, then we've got to start thinking up some strategies and-"

"In the meantime, there is something that I would like to discuss with you, Robin."

Robin paused. "Sure. What is it?"

Starfire covered her face with her hands. "I am so sorry that this happened to you, Robin. And it is my fault. My sister ordered the Psions to torture you simply to torment me."

"Star, why would I ever blame _you_ for that? You and the others never blamed me when Slade infected you all with those probes. It was Blackfire and the Psions, not you."

"That may be, but hurting you in order to weaken me worked. Knowing that you were in that much pain because of me rendered me almost powerless. Therefore, it would be best if you and I were to…end our relationship."

"What?!" Robin exclaimed, trying to move closer to her. "But we only just got together! You've been wanting this for so long and now you're just going to call it off? I only just realized that I wanted it too, even though it took me forever to admit it. To myself and you. We can't just end it now. Not like this."

"I know all of that. And it truly breaks my heart to do this." Starfire's voice began to crack. "But, look at yourself, Robin! You nearly lost your life. I would rather never be able to see you again than know that you were dead!" The alien closed her eyes and turned away from him. "My people live by our emotions, but since I have come to Earth, I have learned that there are times when it is best to put them aside and to act on logic. Now is one of those times. If I am to prevent my sister from attempting to use you and the other Titans to weaken me and threaten our lives and this planet, we must sacrifice our bonds. I must detach myself from all of you. For the good of everyone."

"No," Robin said, shaking his head.

"But-"

Starfire was cut off as Robin unexpectedly caught her in an embrace, hissing in pain at his arms being moved in a way that he probably should not have. She noticed this and supported him by hugging him back, not wanting him to overexert himself.

"Denying your emotions like this and detaching yourself…you can't do it, Starfire, you can't."

"Robin…"

"Starfire, when I first met you and the others, I had been trained and conditioned for years to deny my emotions and to always listen to my head instead of my feelings. But you showed me that sometimes, listening to your heart and your emotions really is a lot better than what might seem _logically _right."

Robin leaned back a little and laid a hand on her face.

"I-I feel like I've always been so constrained and weighed down by all that and the rest of my past…. And when I got to know you, I saw how free you were. And you taught me how to have that freedom too. You're so honest with yourself and with others and you never hide or deny how much you care about anything. You don't doubt your friends and you never give up on anyone. You're the best friend I've ever had and…and…And I…"

Starfire's mouth hung open, not knowing what was coming next.

"I…I-I love you for that. I love you, Starfire."

A deep, dark blush rose in Starfire's cheeks. Did she just hear what she thought she heard? She wanted to say that she loved him back, and a thousand other things, but all that came out of her mouth was: "…Robin…" For once, she was the one who couldn't put her emotions into words. The alien grasped the human's hand. "I-I love you as well. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. And I want to continue loving you until the end of my days."

Robin smiled at her and nodded. "Then let's face the Citadel together. The way we really are."

"Yes."

"El teléfono está sonando!" cried Mas.

"Responderla!" Menos urged his brother, running up to press the button on the keyboard that would turn on the video chat connection on the main computer screen. The Titans West appeared on screen in the main room of their tower.

"Todo el mundo, que es el oeste Titans!" Mas and Menos called. Bumblebee, Aqualad, and Speedy came running to the main room of their own tower.

"I heard you were just in the hospital, Robin. Are you feeling better now?" Bumblebee asked.

"Much better, thank you," he answered with a smile.

"But he's not fully healed yet," said Raven, glancing down at his wheelchair and giving Robin a stern look.

"Let it be known that _I_ was the one who saved him," Speedy boasted, holding his head high.

"Right…" said Aqualad, rolling his eyes. "So, what's up, guys?"

"As you know if Speedy told you, we have an imminent full-scale alien invasion on our hands," Starfire reported.

"So basically, we're gonna need all hands on deck, right?" Bumblebee continued.

"Yup," Beast Boy replied. "We need all of the Titans together now more than ever. Heck, we need all the help we can possibly get."

"Beast Boy's right," Robin assented. "Speedy, Aqualad, if you two don't mind me asking, what are your connections like with your mentors, Green Arrow and Aquaman? Do you think that you could get them to help?"

Aqualad frowned. "Hm…Well, he's always ridiculously busy with his royal duties in Atlantis and in the Justice League, but if it's a full-scale alien invasion we're talking about, it'll affect us all, so I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to help at least a little bit. I'll swim back home myself and contact him as soon as I can."

"Green Arrow should be able to join in at least some of the battle too, but he won't fight with us unless he has concrete proof that something's happening. So, I'll call him, but just don't expect him to come running until there's actually some action going on," Speedy added.

"Alright," said Cyborg. "Just keep us posted on all that and if you see any aliens or need our help."

"Speaking of help, we've been thinking that it's time to start organizing all of the honorary Titans into teams," Robin stated. "We'll need everyone to gather together in one place again for that. We're sending out word tonight so that we can all meet here tomorrow."

"Okay, we'll help round everybody up, too. Count on it." said Bumblebee.

"Awesome!" said Beast Boy. "Catch you dudes on the flip side."

The chat was disconnected just as the Titans East received a warning that there was trouble in the bay. Speedy, Bumblebee, Mas and Menos ran into the T-ship and drove it into the ocean as Aqualad swan beside them on his own. The ocean right outside their tower had been declared a fish sanctuary one year ago in order to safeguard the fish populations as they struggled to restore their populations after half a decade of rampant overfishing. It was also home to exotic, rare species, which gave poachers the incentive to sail their boats there and try their luck. Aqualad growled at the too-familiar sight of his home being disrespected. This time by someone attempting to spearfish in a red and black speed boat and he formed a large wave, which he rose up on and shouted: "I understand that you need to make a living, but _this_ is no way to go about it!"

Bumblebee, Speedy, Mas, and Menos set their ship to autopilot and stood on top of it as it zoomed alongside the poacher's boat.

"Get out of my way while you can, brats!" the intruder barked. "Johnny Rancid rules the road **and** the waves, now!" He pressed a button that unleashed a large drag net behind his boat and he began to trap entire schools of endangered fish.

"Aqualad! You make sure he doesn't get away with hurting anything! Speedy, Mas, Menos, let's waste this lowlife!" Bumblebee ordered.

Those four Titans leapt off of their ship and boarded Johnny Rancid's, who put it on autopilot as well and turned to fight them back. The thug whipped out his blaster pistol and shot down every last arrow that Speedy fired at him. Johnny also caught sight of Bumblebee, who had shrunken down to make herself a more elusive target, and fired another shot at her. Mas and Menos managed to grab him before he could strike them as well, and tore him away from the steering wheel.

Meanwhile, Aqualad was down beneath the ocean surface, using his telepathy to warn all the fish and other ocean creatures to swim away from the boat and its malignant pilot. Once his underwater friends were safe from harm, the Atlantean gathered the ocean water underneath him in a column and soon rose up in front of the boat.

"I'll give you one chance to surrender before I destroy you!" he shouted.

Johnny just cackled again, and swatted away Mas and Menos to the other side of the boat. "I thought you were gonna come after me, fish boy! So Johnny came **prepared**!"

The punk pulled a special taser out of another pocket on his belt, and shot out the wires that attached themselves to the young Atlantean.

"Aqualad, NO!" Speedy yelled, realizing with horror what was about to happen.

Johnny sneered at Aqualad and zapped him with the weapon, causing him to let out a blood-curling scream as the electricity coursed through his body. A few seconds later, the water column collapsed and Aqualad fell down deep into the water.

"Grrr…I'm gonna make you pay for that, you jerk!" Speedy roared, loading another arrow on his bow.

"Si!" added Mas and Menos, recovering and sprinting back to grasp the criminal again, this time holding him firm. "Vamos a ver cómo te gusta!"

Bumblebee caught Speedy's eye and nodded at him, who returned her gesture knowingly as she went in for a pincer attack. He fired the electrified arrow at Johnny Rancid as she stung him in the chest with both of her stingers from behind. The criminal yelped and collapsed to the floor. Once he saw him drop, Speedy threw down his bow and jumped into the water, desperately searching for his fallen friend.

Aqualad was about twenty feet below the surface and was being held by someone who the archer had never seen before. Her skin was a light powder blue with just a hint of green, her short hair was teal and her eyes, like her Atlantean armor, were bright and golden. When the mysterious girl saw Speedy, her eyes flashed with anger and she released Aqualad to zoom upwards through the water as fast as a bullet and punched him so hard that he soon found himself flying all the way back up in midair, where Bumblebee caught him.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I dunno," Speedy replied groggily. "I found Aqualad but some other girl found him first, and she hit me. Really hard."

"Some other girl?" Then, another column of water rose up, this one much more massive in height and width than Aqualad's had been. The waters parted halfway and the Atlantean girl was seen standing in the center of it, supported by a smaller column of water beneath her feet.

"I warned him that you surface dwellers could not be trusted. And now, you will face the wrath of Atlantis!"

"W-wait! We're not the ones who-" Bumblebee asserted.

But the Atlantean girl was deaf to her speech, and blasted her and Speedy hard with a jet stream of water.

"Speedy! Bumblebee!" Mas and Menos cried, who had just finished securely tying up Johnny Rancid and ensuring that he couldn't escape.

"Tenemos que ayudarles!" Menos said to his brother.

"Pero, ¿cómo?" Mas asked.

"¡Vamos!" Menos took hold of Mas's hand and they started running onto the water, too fast for the Atlantean to hit. They increased their speed more and more until they had formed a cyclone and trapped her inside of it, giving Speedy and Bumblebee time to get their bearings.

"Fools!" she shouted. "You surface dwellers dare to wrest control of these waters away from me?"

After a short tug-of-war, her telekinesis overpowered their speed and stopped the cyclone and knocked them down with the water that they had raised and continuing her onslaught even as their little heads bobbed back up.

"Hang on, you guys!" Bumbleebee exclaimed, flying out to their aid.

"Girl, you need to-" Speedy began.

"_Don't_ say it!" Bumblebee squawked, seeing which arrow he was about to shoot.

"Eheh, sorry," said Speedy.

"Don't apologize! Just shoot already!" she shrieked angrily, deflecting the smaller streams of water that were being shot at her with her stingers.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh!"

Speedy let his arrow fly and the Atlantean was encased in ice. Bumblebee flew to rejoin him in the boat with Mas and Menos clinging to her as she placed them back next to him on the floor.

"Gracias," they said.

"De…de nada?" she replied.

"¡Si! bravo!" the twins told her, clapping and smiling.

Aqualad then finally resurfaced.

"Aqualad! You okay, man?" Speedy called.

"I'm fine. Looks like you guys took care of Johnny, but who's-Tula?!" he cried.

"That's her name?" said Bumblebee.

"Yeah, and she's a really old friend. What did you guys do to her?"

"Whoa, whoa, _she _attacked us!" Speedy asserted.

"But, she wouldn't just do that," Aqualad mused.

"Tal vez algo la estaba controlando?" Mas offered.

"It's a possibility," said Bumblebee. "Aqualad, can you bring her over here?"

Aqualad punched through several chunks of the ice and carried her, still encased in a much smaller block, to his friends.

"Tula, can you hear me?" he asked with his mind. "What's going on?"

"The surface dwellers were responsible for injuring you. They must be destroyed," she answered.

"Okay, something's definitely messing with her head," he thought. "But, what could it be?"

The water Titan then saw two small black dots, each no larger than a deer tick, on one of her temples. "Bingo."

He punched through the remainder of the ice and tore it away before she could react and told Bumblebee to catch it.

"Ungh…Garth? What are you doing here? And why am I so cold? And who are you guys?"

"These are the Titans East. I've told you about them, remember? They're my friends."

"We were out here trying to stop this lose from ransacking this protected water, but then you attacked because this thing was controlling you," Bumblebee added.

"So that's what it is," said Tula. "I found it while I was patrolling the depths today but then I blacked out, and well, I guess you guys know the rest. Anyway, thank you all for saving me and protecting the ocean. I'm sorry our first meeting had to be so rough."

"Hey, no worries," said Speedy.

"No, I should worry about it. You all just did me a huge favor! Is there anything that I can do in return?"

The Titans East all pondered for a moment but then Bumblebee stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder, smiling at her. "Well, for starters, what do you think of the name Aquagirl?"


	9. Episode 9: Save Our Planet Part I (Act 1

**AN: I know, I know it's been way too long since my last update. I'm sorry. I also know that this chapter isn't very long, but I've finally gotten some more ideas about how to move forward, so this is just a little stage-setter of sorts. I also think that I would be able to update and get this thing finished quicker if my chapters were shorter, so that's another reason why this is shorter and future chapters will be as well. **

**Thanks for reading and for the reviews, faves and follows, and as always, I hope you enjoy and tell me your thoughts!**

**Shadow**

* * *

><p>"Well maybe I should put him with…hmm…no, that's not going to work. Maybe I should pair up her with this other girl in this team…hm…No. Oh, wait, Cyborg said that those two are friends, so I should probably try to put them together, but if I do that, it'll throw the entire balance of this team off and leave another team short one member. No. No. No! Arrrgggh!"<p>

Robin leaned back in his chair and brought both hands up to his face. He was in his office. Papers scattered everywhere against the unusually long desk. Charts and graphs and data sheets stapled to the walls over the wanted posters and newspaper articles that had been hung there earlier before.

"Well, I'm out of ideas." Robin scooted his chair back and stared down at the mutant worm that lay stretched out on his lap, his head drooping down off of it. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Rrreeeeep," Silkie replied.

"That's what I thought," he sighed.

"Robin? Are you in here? May we come in, please?"

"Yeah, it's okay," Robin answered, rushing to straighten up some of the papers on the desk surface.

Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg entered the poorly lit, messy room.

"Whoa. I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but I think you might have actually managed to beat out BB for messiest room, Robin," Cyborg mused.

"Dude, what _is_ all this, stuff?" the changeling asked, his eyes scanning around the room and lifting up some of the papers.

"We all agreed that it was time to start organizing the honoraries into teams, right?" Robin answered. "That's what I've been trying to do here."

"Uh, don't you think that they should actually get a _say_ in what teams they're on and who they're with?" said Raven.

"Of course," Robin replied. "I'm not going to try and force anyone into anything. These are just guidelines and suggestions. I've printed out all the data I've got on each Titan, and I've been trying to figure out how best to balance everyone. But then I've also been thinking maybe it would be best to put that on hold for a while and then just put everyone into squads according to their talents: like a stealth squad, a strength squad, a speed squad, a flight squad, a magic squad, and so on and so forth."

"Look, no offense, but aren't you making this too complicated?" Beast Boy asked. "Why not just group everyone with the people who they're closest to? That'll make it easier, won't it?"

"That's not a bad idea," Cyborg concurred with a nod.

"I agree, but I also believe that all of us should be present for such a decision to be made," Starfire added. "It has been a long time since we were all together."

"If we're going to do that, then we need to do it today," said Raven. "And we should make the people we call ourselves pass the message along so it'll go quicker. I'll call Herald and the kids." She took out her communicator and flipped it open.

Cyborg followed suit. "I'll get a hold of the Titans East and Kole and N…Gnarrk."

"I shall contact Red Star and Argent," Starfire continued.

"I'll talk to Kid Flash and Pantha," Beast Boy reported.

"And I'll talk to Jericho."

0oooo0

The wrestling star was sitting in front of the mirror in her dressing room in the southern United States. It had been another night of brawling and conquering competitor after competitor. She was getting ready to head for the showers when her communicator rang.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"Yo, Pantha, it's Beast Boy. We're gonna need your help again. We all are."

"What for? Have any of you been captured again?!"

"No, not this time. Remember those aliens who you helped saved us from?"

"I do, yes."

"Well, they'll be coming back, and we need to be ready, we're all gonna gather everyone at the tower in Jump City. Can you grab Hot Spot and Wildebeest on your way?"

She nodded. "I can. And together, we will crush them long before they can harm anyone else!"

0oooo0

An armada of ships floated through space. Unlike the Psion ships' stark and utilitarian, but still sleek design, they were everything but. They were all painted yellow, and made to look intimidating and be large enough and look dangerous enough so as to frighten even the strongest warriors throughout all the universe. Inside them were members of the dreaded Citadel empire. The largest one was big enough to be small moon, and within it dwelled the Citadel Emperor: Lord Damyn and his most fearsome subjects. He sat at a U-shaped banquet table with them and the Chief Psion Magistrate. Spread before them were plates and trays piled high and unceremoniously with food. It was almost entirely meat: braised meat and raw meat and boiled meat and roasted meat and grilled meat and stewed meat and sautéed meat and fried meat and even rotten meat. The hulking, blue-skinned Citadel aliens scooped up fistfuls of it and shoved it down their throats, washing it down with some rancid-smelling alcoholic drink. The Psion Magistrate picked gingerly at several pieces, not wanting to run the risk of offending his host, but he supplied his own meal of vitamins and nutritional supplements in the form of pills, capsules, and tablets of powder that dissolved in water. Psions eat only to give their bodies the exact amount of nutrients that they will need, not to satisfy their palates. Even now, the Psion was calculating in his head what vitamins he would need to eat and which would be supplied by the meat that he had eaten and which drugs he would then need to take as a precaution for food poisoning or consuming too much cholesterol from his meal. About a quarter of the way through the meal, their third guest arrived: Blackfire, the former Grand Ruler of Tamaran.

Lord Damyn looked up after splitting a bone in half with his yellowed teeth, sucking out the marrow and swallowing it. "Welcome!" he boomed.

"Thank you," she curtly replied, before sitting next to him. The ex-princess turned her head towards the Psion Magistrate and nodded, acknowledging his presence, and he returned the gesture.

"So, is everything ready for the invasion?" she asked.

"Yes. 7 billion people to kill. Won't it be fun, eh?" Lord Damyn responded before he let out a belly laugh and raised his mug for a toast, which was greeted with enthusiastic roars and cheers.

"Eh-heh. Right. I'll give you Earth, and you'll hold up your end of the bargain, won't you?"

"Yes, Komand'r," said the Psion. "We will help you reconquer Tamaran for you to rule, and we will give you…your brother."

Blackfire's eyes narrowed. "_Give _him to me?" she asked. "You said you would tell me where he is!" she reached across the table and seized the Psion, her eyes flashing. "_What have you done to_ _him_?"

"Wra ha ha!" Lord Damyn clapped his hands. "Best be honest with her, Psion, she no like lies."

With a glance over to him, the Psion realized that he was not going to be helped out of this situation, so he spoke up. "It was merely a figure of speech," he choked. "We have not captured your brother. I swear that the boy is not our prisoner, but we do still know where he is."

Blackfire leaned in even closer. "You had better be telling the truth. If you don't, I. Will. Make. You._ Pay._"

The Psion was silent.

"Got it?"

More silence.

"WELL?!"

"Y-y-y-y-YES!" he squeaked loudly. "Yes, of course."

She released him and let him crumple back into his chair, evoking another laugh from Lord Damyn.

"Oh, how me wish me could have had you here sooner, Komand'r," he chortled. "You most fun to have around! Now come, help yourself!" he slammed a humongous plate in front of her. "EAT!"

She managed to smirk back at him and grabbed several pieces of food and started eating. "Only for now," she whispered under her breath. "Only for now."


End file.
